Does anybody else view the military as a Killing Machine?

Question

I don't want to sound harsh, but honestly I don't find anything "patriotic" about it. It is basically "justified" killing, in the name of a country.
"Kill on person and they call you a murderer. Kill thousands and they call you a leader." ?

And some of your answers illustrate my point beautifully. Eye for an Eye anyone?

And I go to Columbia College, not Columbia University.

OK
let me collaborate once again:

Does anyone find something wrong with this????!

Answer 1

those who try to moralize war and armies are most likely to be defeated.....sorry.

Answer 2

I wonder what we should have done when 4 planes were sent out to destroy targets in the US? O yeah we hold memorials, cry and pray for them all, right? Or should we just lay down and allow the terrorists to attack the whole country? Maybe we should just all convert to Islam. Then the Islamic fanatics would think we aren't against them, oops they kill each other also. We need this killing machine to help protect our country. I really don't see you going out and protecting anyone, not even yourself. There have been men and women volunteering to protect this country since it was conceived. If you are a pacifist you do not have to participate. I thank these young men and women for protecting our country. I think maybe when you get a little older you will also.

This country needs to get behind their military and support them. The house, senate and the president all voted on the wars we are fighting on several fronts. The people were behind it at the time it happened. Sometimes things take a little longer than we want them to, but to have a good out come lots of issues weigh in. Do you understand why we are not pulling out right away?

We went in and removed the oppressive government that was in power. The country does not have a government in place that can rule and protect itself at the moment. If we leave before this is accomplished we will have to go back later and help again. It will end up costing more if we do that.

I understand where you are coming from but I don't think you understand what is actually happening. I sometimes wonder if our wonderful media actually understands what is happening. Do you know how long we helped every country we ever went to war with? Most of the countries we have fought against we are still helping in one way or another. Have you studied history at all?

Answer 3

You say "Killing machine" like it was a bad thing. Yes, the military of ANY country is there to persue "Diplomacy by other means" when the diplomats have failed to procure or protect that nations interests. During my 20 years in the U.S. Navy, I was taught HOW to take part in the killing part of the machine that you mention, but spent far more man-hours engaging in assistance efforts in other lands. The military is ultimately there for the protection of the citizenry.

Let me offer you an analogy. Shepards commonly place guard-dogs amongst the flock to protect said flock from the predators that look upon defensless sheep as a menu-item. They do not actively range away from the flock to hunt-down potential predators, but WILL persue and engage any that attack, and often their mere presence with the flock is sufficient deterent. Mankind is, on the whole, a flock of sheep, munching and bleating their wooly lives away, unwilling, or unable, to defend themselves from the predators that lurk in the world. The military functions as the guard-dogs in our society, either detering, or engaging and eliminating, the predators that come for what they hope will be an easy meal. I. for one, do not care how long the teeth of the guard-dogs are, nor how much predators blood they have on their fur, I am happy that those long teeth protect the flock that I am in. I say this as a retired guard-dog.

Answer 4

A soldier goes where he is told to go and fights who he is told to fight. In the military, which you obviously haven't been in, you don't really have a choice unless you are a conscientious objector. If you want to blame someone for misusing or misdirecting our military, blame the politicians and big, multi-national businesses. (Read "War is a Racket" or "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man"). The military, putting your life on the line for the belief that you are protecting your country, is very patriotic and I have respect for those who have.

Answer 5

Just like Freedom For All said, it's not the tool that's evil, it's the person(s) weilding it that make it good or evil.

One death or many, it doesn't matter. Many seem to forget there are missions going on daily where people die, and are never heard, seen, reported about around the world. All done at the whim of somebody in power. It's all needed to further growth/protection of the world....

SO don't berate the soldiers, as they are following orders from thier superiors. Also, remember, they are doing the job your to big of chicken sh.t to do.

Who do you think gave you your freedom of speech, religion and many other things you take for granted? SOLDIERS did, under the control of somebody who wasn't a puss, and did what needed to be done...

Remember that when you make stupid comments....

Answer 6

I didn't envision myself as a killing machine. I considered myself to be a deterent to the continuation of a war. At war, we do not randomly go out and just start killing people....we protect those who need protection and battle those who are attempting to kill us and others who are under our protection.

What happened after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor? We were neutral at that time. We had not declared war on anyone. What did the men AND women of America do? They joined the military and went to war. To protect the lives and beliefs of your grandparents, parents, and ultimately you.
That is the job of the military. Join and learn.

Semper Fi,
Z
Capt. USMC Ret. (Vietnam Vet)

Answer 7

That's what they do: kill people and blow up things. Done selectively and appropriately, that's a good thing. It's also what's patriotic about it. If you have the willingness and judgment to do the job well, you're volunteering for a crappy job that people would rather not do but needs to be done. And there's nobody that wants peace more than a combat veteran. My time in uniform was peaceful, but my hat's off to these guys every time.

Answer 8

ok nicole, I think it's kind of hard to capture an entire army and put them in jail when they're all shooting at you. You're army is losing to many men trying to capture them, and you've wasted a lot much money builiding the big jail that's supposed to hold all of the enemies, which will make it even harder on you when you have to get through the depression following you're country losing the war. Oh, and you're idea already exists, on a realistic level. When an enemy surrenders, they're put in a pow camp and taken care of until the war's over, or someone negotiates their release.

Answer 9

The military is a tool, just like a hammer. You can use a hammer to build a house, or bash somebody's head in. Tools are not good or evil, the people that wield them are.

Answer 10

Let's see if you feel that way the next time someone like Bin Laden flies a plane into a building in your home town and kills several of your family.

Answer 11

this one is tough to answer in being that I do agree that there are some military people that enjoy killing recklessly. But that there alot more people who are just doing the job that is given to them by superiors. The real monster is the administration and Bush. The reason people at home see the military as patriotic, is because they are asked to do things that the general civilian public wont or cant do. they do this without any questions asked and are placed in harms way. This is a very unpopular and wrong war, but it isn't the fault of the young military members. they also have no rights under the constitution so it isn't like they can just question authority or not obey orders.