scott_harpell

Why do you say that Ken? You have piqued my curiosity.

I am sorry my spelling angers you. I will use your constructinve criticism to make myself a better person and a better employee of this country. You have joined the ranks of people who have made me a better soldier. Your country thanks you. I never called my self a robot. It seems that maybe we might be able to help eachother as I think you might have been mistaken in what I said about myself. Perhaps you read what you wanted to read? I hope I can help you as much as you have helped me; and your country.

hey homes, I have the day off. Taking care of some in-processing issues and such today and what-not. Apparently you have an issue with me. Care to discuss it? If not, I would suggest saving the hostility for someone who cares. Hope you have a great rest of the day. Remember that I am most likely not in your time zone ace... Yeah, I'd like to discuss it. You can't be "I'm a mindless robot, my country right or wrong, I'm just following orders, I've given up my rights, my identity, my ability and willingness to think critically, blah-blah" and expect anyone who hasn't been living in the Star and Stripes institutional echo chamber for the last 7 years to take your tired fairy tales about dictators, WMDs, freedom/democracy and the rest of it seriously. It's not hostility believe me. I'm just trying hard to understand how you're either not trolling or you're not a comic-book character come to life. ---ACE Obviously you have not read the thread. Others have posted eloquently the reason that I seem to you, a "mindless robot." I didn't say you were a mindless robot, you did. Apparently you want us to swallow the same line of horseshit justifications for a misguided war that you did. Not only that, but we should applaud you for "standing up for your principles" and sit around your campfire while you retell stories about Iran that your bosses tell you. Mmmm-hmmm! Actually Prole, you called me a mindless automaton (a synonym would be robot) so you pretty much called me a mindless robot. I already stated my rationale for posting what I did. My bosses never told me anything about Iran. I read it on reuters this morning. It seems that you too have some anger. Perhaps you as well would like to talk about what makes you angry. I think that talking about what makes you feel bad will help you deal with whatever is bothering you. Maybe you can try talking to me about it. I am listening.

the officers and civilians I deal with and have dealt with are unfailingly polite and professional. unlike you. Well Hugh, I will use your words as constructive criticism and attempt to better myself so that I can better represent my country and my service. Thank you for your words and know that they will benefeit the nation as well as myself. You did your country a great service today sir.

hey homes, I have the day off. Taking care of some in-processing issues and such today and what-not. Apparently you have an issue with me. Care to discuss it? If not, I would suggest saving the hostility for someone who cares. Hope you have a great rest of the day. Remember that I am most likely not in your time zone ace... Yeah, I'd like to discuss it. You can't be "I'm a mindless robot, my country right or wrong, I'm just following orders, I've given up my rights, my identity, my ability and willingness to think critically, blah-blah" and expect anyone who hasn't been living in the Star and Stripes institutional echo chamber for the last 7 years to take your tired fairy tales about dictators, WMDs, freedom/democracy and the rest of it seriously. It's not hostility believe me. I'm just trying hard to understand how you're either not trolling or you're not a comic-book character come to life. ---ACE Obviously you have not read the thread. Others have posted eloquently the reason that I seem to you, a "mindless robot."

or there's absolutely no hope Truly a boy with first hand knowledge of current World events. Sure like your cheery disposition and general outlook on life! I posed a question. You understand questions private dipshit? I am not a private. I will forgive you as I am sure you are not very informed about military courtesy. Usually in the English language, we put question marks at the end of sentences to denote a question. You failed to do this. I think that is where we got of track. Maybe it is both our faults. We will start over. Now would you like to restate your question so we can go on with our discourse?

hey homes, I have the day off. Taking care of some in-processing issues and such today and what-not. Apparently you have an issue with me. Care to discuss it? If not, I would suggest saving the hostility for someone who cares. Hope you have a great rest of the day. Remember that I am most likely not in your time zone ace...

Of course! Iran is saving poor Iraq from the big bad White Devil!

Yeah, and what % of the militants in Iraq are Iranian? And why did we capture 5 Iranian soldiers in Iraq just today? lol

Actually, Iran has said continuously that they could build their own weapon and are against anyone saying they can't--or something very similar to that. Iran has never said or something very similar, "We will use nuclear weapons on the U.S." Your response is not accurate. apparently you didn't read a newspaper today. Abnijenemennnebenejad implied he would destroy Israel and then ensured the destruction of the US. Then he got kicked out of the UN dinner.

or there's absolutely no hope Truly a boy with first hand knowledge of current World events. Sure like your cheery disposition and general outlook on life!

Would I rather we go to war than have Iran (who just pretty much told the World he was going to kill us right after he offed Israel) posess nuclear devices? Bet yer sweet tofu loven' ass. Then you are against the philosophy of "innocent until proven guilty." Which means you are against one of the values in the US justice system. Possessing nuclear weapons does not make one guilty. The use of nuclear weapons does...but not the possesssion of them. How about we just round up people who we think "might" murder somebody? Th US justice system requires an action to take place. What are you fighting for if you do not believe in one of the prime values/philosphies in the US justice system? haha If someone threatens to shoot their wife, what happens in the American Justice System? They get a restraining order. If they break the restraining order, they are incarcerated. Iran has threatened the US while making nuclear material. Time for a "restaining order" (follow?) if they continue on this path of agression, the US (ie Juducial System) has no other recourse than to make good on their promise of incarceration. Now, you still want to insinate that my position is hypocritical?

Would I rather we go to war than have Iran (who just pretty much told the World he was going to kill us right after he offed Israel) posess nuclear devices? Bet yer sweet tofu loven' ass.

Rrrrrrrr! I missed youuuuuuuuuu!

Exactly. I think that it would be the perfect time to get journalists to come in and see the reconstruction efforts. I really don't think it is a priority for the media though. I am sure they would rather help perpetuate the fight between Hill and Obama.

Why would women have a breast "enhancement" of any size? It's a lot cheaper to have the words "low self-esteem" tattooed on your forehead. Keep 'em as God made them, I say! If you think the mens don't likes them small, too bad. Who you trying to impress anyway? The only exception I can think of would be this friend of mine whose "hoots" were so huge, she had serious back pain. She had them "reduced" and it corrected the problem. Breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery is an important part of the healing and recovery process for many women. Although it may seem to you that a woman who would get her boobs replaced as a sign of low self esteem and an inability to adjust to being boobless in a boob-obsessed world, it is traumatic enough to go through any type of illness without adding the bullshit that comes with men diagnosing their "self esteem" issues. somehow I dont think that was why this lovely lady got hers all "did up"

I am just trying to show that it is not as bleak as the media is portraying. I do wish that we had the resources to do other things but right now we are committed. I have never quit anything in my life (except leading even steven, that climb is a bitch for a skinny kid) and i don't want to start now. I am probably a little reluctant to leave because i know it will mean that those whose lives have been lost would not be wasted on something that just didn't work. Luckily, I am just another Joe and that decision does not rest on my shoulders. For to take a gamble like that and fail would be worse than anything I could imagine.

I honestly think this is for 2 reasons: 1) The media knows that violence sells. Putting in a well doesn't. 500lb bombs and 105mm howitzers sell, clean water doesn't 2) The communication has been less than optimal. If you listen to what some of the Generals say, you will get the full picture. Granted, you will have to dig dig dig to find it. plus... shit. It is demoralizing to lose a fellow american. If you said "we built a well" and "miliants killed 3 soldiers today" which one will you remember in 3 weeks? I dont know if it is worth the cost. No-one does. The one thing I do know is: If we pull out today, it wasn't worth the cost. Give us a chance to make our friends' deaths mean something. Let us make their lives make someone else's better.

If you could see it with your own eyes you would understand. Everything being done there is to stimulate autonomy. 1) Building the Army 2) Building the police force 3) Fixing dilapidated power, sewer, water and housing issues 4) Creating a constitution that all sects can live with. ensuring these things are done ensures that we will not have to go back. Edit: Oh yeah and catch Iranian soldiers trying to mess it all up

Hello 51st state!

Ironically? This is just more par for the course in the world of international politics, intervention, and war. WWI led to Versailles, which led to economic collapse of Germany, the rise of nazism and a new World War which led to Yalta which led to partitioning of Europe, and Iron Curtain, the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, etc. It's the same fucking story over and over again. Exactly, so lets try and actually fix these things rather than use band-aids. We turned Germany back into a economic power. It required over 50 years of occupation. Hell we are still there. Why do we think that fighting people of equally adamant beliefs is going to be any different in Iraq? It wont. We need to do it right. This requires the vast majority of our work be dedicated to nation building. Fighting is the easy part. Maintaining and rebuilding is where it gets hard and where we can say "this place is better than when we got here." That is the goal and if we would have done it right the first time, we would not be back here again.

Figured as much What are the alternatives..? Clearly oil is major concern. Islamic extremism, terrorism, and the nuclear threat from Iran are major concerns as well. It's not just oil. bingo. Iran, who just today predicted the demise of Israel and the destruction of the US; where most of the militants in Iraq come from anyways is the main concern. Ironically, the radical religious regime in Iran is largely the result of earlier "geopolitical" strategies of the U.S. Things like that seem to bite us in the ass. After all, who put SH into power in the first place? Who gave OBL his start? To a large degree, this mess we've got ourselves into re: the middle east is a beast of our own creation. I hope we learn our lesson, but our actions in Iraq make me think that we haven't. My thought is this: We have tried a course of action to fix the mess we made earlier. We tried to fix something with a quick solution and quick solutions always bite you in the ass. If we back out now, this war was nothing less than another quick solution that in turn will bite us in the ass again. We left early in 1991 and this is the cost. If we leave early, we will be back to Iraq. I would rather stay a little bit longer and ensure that I will never have to go back to that shit hole ever again. We are accomplishing something each and everyday that we fight there. OBL state before the 9/11 attacks that the US did not have the gut to fight a long war and that its people would revolt before there presence was effective in the area. Lets not prove him right.

Figured as much What are the alternatives..? Clearly oil is major concern. Islamic extremism, terrorism, and the nuclear threat from Iran are major concerns as well. It's not just oil. bingo. Iran, who just today predicted the demise of Israel and the destruction of the US; where most of the militants in Iraq come from anyways is the main concern.

It is clear that oil IS a factor. It is not the factor or even a major factor. If it were about oil, it would be about economics. It would cost very little to go into an African country such as Sierra Leonne and we would gain much oil from it. We would also be justified based upon the maltreatment if its citizens. We didn't we chose to go into a hornet's nest where even if the oil was freed up, the skeptical eyes of Islamists would watch over every drop. The later sscenario hardly seems economically viable.

Ececutive Outcomes based out of South Africa already tried a coup in 2001. That ended up with the entirety of the crew being tried for crimes and being imprisoned. I would think if oil was the main concern, we would try to take over a more obscure country such as this with more oil per capita, a horribly corrupt military and no real allegiance to any given religion. This would be an overnight affair. If a dozen men thought they could take the country in a military coup, how hard would it be for the largest military superpower in the World to do so?