Ok I was talking to this guy from the UK and he asked me if I supported President Bush and his decisions and I said that I really don't like Bush, never have. Then he said, well do you support your American Troops and I said of course, 100% without a doubt. And then he said well many American Troops believe in the president. I said oh believe me, there are more than enough people that don't like Bush and all his decisions. He said I know, I am American too, I just live in the UK. He said I just don't believe that you support your troops because you don't believe in your president. I really don't get this, my whole family hates Bush but we love and support our troops 110%.....If I made any sense explaining this at all could someone please explain to me what he was getting at?
2006-10-04 07:48:55 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Other - Politics & Government
He was just baiting you, he is obviously a blind Bush supporter as I am sure that you will get answers from. Do not worry what he thinks, think for yourself, isn't supporting the troops wanting them to come home and be with their familys, isn't not supporting Bush not wanting to be in a criminal and corrupt war based on a lie. You are right to feel as you do and many more people feel as you do then those that don't
2006-10-04 08:09:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Speaking as a Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Bosnia/Kosovo veteran, there is a HUGE difference between supporting the troops and supporting the President. During the Vietnam era, anti-war protestors spat upon our soldiers and called them war-mongers and baby-killers. Today, many people are very outspoken about how they disagree with the war in Iraq but they're not taking out their disapproval and anger/outrage on the U.S. Armed Forces. That's the difference.
You may find this hard to believe, but military members are some of the most anti-war individuals you will ever meet. Do you honestly think that men and women in uniform WANT to leave their loved ones and their comfortable homes behind, go off to a foreign country, live in much less favorable conditions, wake up every day wondering whether they're going to get shot or blown up that day, and possibly having to shoot their weapons at people they don't even know? OF COURSE NOT!!! We continue to wear the uniform and we do as we are told because we know freedom is not free. SOMEONE has to defend this country against those who would try to take our freedom away or harm American citizens through cowardly tactics, and we love freedom enough to raise our hands and volunteer.
Do we agree with every decision made by the President and Congress? OF COURSE NOT!!! We didn't understand why we were in Bosnia and Kosovo -- they hadn't attacked us, and as far as we knew they didn't pose any type of threat to American citizens. But we went and we did our job and we made the best of it despite our questions and doubts. I'm sure a lot of the troops that are currently in Iraq have their questions and doubts too, but they're over there doing what they have been trained to do, and while the questions and doubts are still there the troops understand that we ARE still fighting for the freedom and safety of American citizens.
2006-10-04 15:08:05 · answer #2 · answered by sarge927 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I can see the guy's point in a way--the president is the commander and chief of the military, so I guess the guy is asking: can you really say that you fully support the troops without supporting their leader? If you don't support the decisions made to enter into conflict in Iraq, do you fully support the troops and their efforts?
Here's an example that might us help understand your friend's point--could you say that you love a movie without liking the decisions the director made in filming, casting, scripting, etc?
I'm not disagreeing with you, though. I believe you have the ability not to like the decisions made by the president and still support the individuals who are on the front lines
2006-10-04 15:05:05 · answer #3 · answered by lucybelle 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Supporting the president and supporting our troops are two different things.
I think the president made mistake to invade Iraq and send our troops to be in harms way, however I do support our troops they have to go wherever the commander in chief sends them, that doesn't mean I have to like or support Bush.
2006-10-04 15:13:53 · answer #4 · answered by maxdon2 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think the point he was trying to make is that you really can't support the troops, but not the war. If you believe the war is unjust, then it is nothing more than state sponsored murder. If you believe it is murder, who are the ones doing the murdering? The troops. You can't say you don't support murder, but you do support murderers.
You can not support the troops without supporting the war. With no troops, there would be no war. The troops are the war. "Just following orders" is no excuse for killing people if you don't be live in the cause. Troops always have the choice to disobey orders if they believe they are immoral or unjust.
You can't have it both ways. Either the troops are good people fighting a just war. Or they are just a bunch of murderers, killing people for no reason other than somebody told them to.
2006-10-04 15:05:54 · answer #5 · answered by Aegis of Freedom 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The troops are caught in the middle. They have a job to do, under any government, without a choice.
They have committed themselves to defending their country, no matter if they agree with the cause or not.
You can no doubt support your troops without agreeing with the reasons they are fighting. It's a shame they are fighting, but they are still doing so, and they need to know that there are people that appreciate them doing so.
It's the same way I feel, our troops are dying too...
2006-10-04 15:17:43 · answer #6 · answered by Nikki 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just because you don't like Bush doesn't mean that you don't like american troops. They are doing their job and that's what you support. They (the troops) have integrity to do a job that is assigned to them. That I support too. Bush lacks in integrity. He was trying to say that they are mutually exclusive. They are NOT.
2006-10-04 14:59:18 · answer #7 · answered by dt_05851 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That guy was wrong about saying that all the troops believe in the president. It's not necessarily the president they believe in, but the office. His position. The troops are sworn to follow their Commander-in-Chief no matter who they themselves voted for. If a soldier did what he wanted to do, and said, "I don't like this president, so I'm not going to protect my country." What kind of military would we have? So, our troops are actually defending our country. And we support our troops for protecting and defending US.
2006-10-04 14:54:38 · answer #8 · answered by ThatLady 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Tuff Question... I will answer this from my disabled veteran point of view.... many troops were already on active duty before any of this **** started.... they were either to go to war or go to jail... right or wrong they really had no options..... many of them joined because they were misled by recruiters....
From have been active duty military it is the norm for troops to support the republican agenda.... many of them joined post 911 to support this BS... many were to young to realize their mistakes until it was too late... now they too are stuck....
However, many know what they are doing is wrong...torture being one of them.... so yeah.... it's hard to say.... I debated this SSGT a few weeks ago and he was so brain washed that he was preserving freedom at all cost... including ignoring the Geneva Convention and torturing enemy POWs...
In this guys opinion Supporting the Troops is associated with supporting what they are doing... I guess it is hard to see how you can support something you don't believe in,,,,
Like supporting a Abortion Doctor if you are Pro Life....
2006-10-04 14:58:36 · answer #9 · answered by JWAV 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think the troops have to convince themselves that Bush is right, or else they'd go insane knowing that they are risking their lives for something that they don't believe in.
I support the troops but not the president as well and I think that is a common view.
2006-10-04 14:52:18 · answer #10 · answered by Sharon 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋