She's talking about Vietnam, but don't you think it also applies to Iraq? And to make this religious, do you think god really told Bush to invade Iraq?
"I think if our country is attacked, I don't think there is a boy in the country that wouldn't fight for the defense of it. None of my boys. All of my boys surely would. But I don't believe in sending them to these places for tin, rubber and oil, or whatever it maybe, and I think if there is any criminals in this case, it's the middle-class America who sits by and allows this to happen, allows our boys — we not only give our boys, we give the money. Because it's our money, our taxes.
We ought to be ashamed of ourselves. I know that I am. I am ashamed of the day I took my son to that airplane and put him on. I'm ashamed of any pride that I had when the Taps were played, and I did have pride. And I'm proud of my son because he didn't know. We should have known, but we didn't know.
2007-09-13 08:13:55 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
A kid that never had a gun in his life, because we, like the Reillys never had a gun in our home. When I say we were taught non-violence, our children were taught non-violence, that's exactly what I mean. And to take that lovely, lovely boy and to tell him, "You are fighting for your country." How stupid can we get? He was fighting for his country. Can anybody stand here and tell me how he was fighting for his country?"
2007-09-13 08:14:11 · update #1
This is extremely appropriate today, especially in the light of what we know about Viet Nam. I worked with a vet a few years ago...he died this year and I went to the funeral. He was a gung-ho kind of Vietnam vet...but he never fooled himself. I recall him telling us about how Lady-Bird Johnson's shipping company was making a mint on shipping thing to Viet Nam during the war, and how many of his fellow soldiers talked about it being Lady-Bird's war.
I agree...if we get attacked, then defend ourselves. A policy of pre-emptive strike is simply stupid, and it sets precedence for every other nation...this war is not about the US...it's about money, like so many have been.
I am really afriad of all the IRAN talk now...it sounds frighteningly like the talk that started us on the path to this war in IRAQ.
2007-09-13 08:25:14 · answer #1 · answered by Night Owl 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I agree with my mother on this one-Afghanistan provoked us but Iraq wasn't necessary.
I watch the The Daily Show every once in a while and I managed to catch an episode that showed that two-faced monster, Dick Cheney, saying why we shouldn't invade Iraq-that if we take out the central govt (Saddam), 'what would we have to replace it? How many lives is it worth and we decided not many.' Then, there was a Cheney supporter who said 'Well, 911 changed everything'. That's a matter of opinion. I got the distinct impression that Mr. Cheney and his like thought those who had those exact same questions when leading up to the war were 'unpatriotic'. Ugh!
But, to make this religious, I heard someone on TV say 'I think George Bush (the pres) makes a decision and then prays to God it's right!'
2007-09-13 15:34:59 · answer #2 · answered by strpenta 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My heart does a twist when I read something like this..... I have 3 sons, and none of them , medically speaking, were able to join the armed forces, good for them and we, their parents, but maybe bad for our country..... *sigh*..... I can not speak as a mother who lost a son or daughter to the war..... I can only speak as an American.... I may NOT agree with war, I may NOT agree with all the reasons, but I do agree that our country, America, does need to stand up to terrorist and the like...... I would hate to think how ugly the world would be if , Hitler, Hues an, and all the other evil minded men of power, would have been under rule for longer than they were.... I believe this war, Iraq, started out as good intentions, but I also feel we are way PAST the time of bringing our boys and girls home...... We went in, stopped the evil, and now it is time to let the people over there decide just how much they want freedom...... We fought on our own soil , brother against brother, sad and heart breaking as it was, but we did what had to be done to become a free nation with equal opportunities for all........ *Sigh*. I could go on and on, but I think I'll stop here......... go in peace...... God bless
2007-09-13 15:25:20 · answer #3 · answered by Annie 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
God can't tell anyone anything... God doesn't count a hoot and doesn't exist. Bush used the "God said" trump card to get the ignorant people behind his war plans in just the same way that Islamic leaders use the "Allah said" card to send their suicide terrorists into a crowd of innocent people.
God is a disgusting and despicable pawn of the power hungry and ought to be put down if for only the dangers of that reason.
The quotation speaks of our guilt in sending young people to fight wars and of our guilt in financing them... I won't say that we are incorrect to support our troops in every way we can but I will say that we have to make it a personal responsibility of grave importance to send them off wherever they may need to go and then to feel the same guilt as Elizabeth Good whenever we're in error.
God neither makes wars nor ends them; they are neither won nor lost by God... God is nothing at all - forget about such nonsense as god-belief. Mankind, all of us alone, are responsible for our world - remember that if you'd like to live in a heavenly tomorrow.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/Randall_Fleck/delusion_GIF.gif
[][][] r u randy? [][][]
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2007-09-13 16:24:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Unfortunately, if Saddam Hussein, as he admitted doing, awarded the family of terrorists with payment every time one of them blew themselves up - then yes, he was very involved with terrorism, even if it was only through encouragement and reward.
Was the Iraq war illegal? Or was leaving the decision up to a Security Council, filled up mostly by countries whose own human rights records are deplorable, OR who were making quiet fortunes by dealing with Hussein, the most idiotic idea?
Oil, also unfortunately, is not "just oil". Oil is a very, very important resource that, if we ran out of it, entire industries and economies would falter and fall.
Oil is not just the stuff you put in your car to get from A to B.
And once you hand your money over, in the form of taxes, it's no longer "our money".
She should be ashamed that in her last paragraph she pretty much writes her own son off as ignorant. "because he didn't know". Maybe there were things he didnt know - but its not the place of the public to decide, when and if a country's military goes into action. These people are not children - no one drafted them, no one dragged them into the armed forces by their sleeves. They are adults who have all made conscious decisions to make the armed forces their career, and they know when the Commander In Chief says "Go", they go.
2007-09-13 15:27:06 · answer #5 · answered by allusian_fields 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Yes, I think it could apply to any unjust war. No, God did not tell George Bush to go to war with Iraq. In fact, I believe He told him not to.
2007-09-13 15:19:47 · answer #6 · answered by delsydebothom 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Painful.
A story told thousands of times over, in Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and wherever next.
Thank you.
2007-09-13 15:29:25 · answer #7 · answered by Bad Liberal 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
yup. and some of us knew it all along. bush started talking about war with iraq on september 12th, 2001. he was immediately looking for ways to tie them together and use the tragedy to fight his illegal and immoral war.
hate to say i told you so.
2007-09-13 15:17:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
The kings of men will create a wasteland and call it peace.
2007-09-13 15:24:09 · answer #9 · answered by Timaeus 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
One day it might be in the history books, but history is written by liars
2007-09-13 15:18:50 · answer #10 · answered by frank 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋