Should Americans have the right to say how when and where their miltary is used ?

Question

I have heard a number of people blame "libs" for losing the war or for it going badly because they do not support it

The acusation seems to rely on the concept that Americans have no right to an opinion as to how when why and where the military is used

Is this correct - That in fact they have only the right to agree with the governments position and everything else is to be seen as a crime as treason etc

Answer 1

John Yoo and **** Cheney certainly see the citizens as without the right to be involved. But in point of fact, the constitution ensures that the military is under civilian authority, and the civilian authority provided by the constitution is accountable to the citizenry.

Answer 2

The people you've heard are remarkably poorly informed. We are not losing the war, in fact, unless we give up, we can't lose. In addition we are doing well in spite of the ongoing attempts of the liberals in Congress, and a few defeatist Republicans, to quit.

We do indeed have a right to an opinion as to how and when the military is used. However, no one has the right to expect those opinions to be translated into action. The way our Constitution is written, only the President can make those decisions, though this is moderated by the Congress having control over how much money can be spent on such actions.

Treason is defined in the Constitution and is remarkably specific in scope, it consists only of giving aid and comprt to an enemy--an opinion can't be treason, only concrete actions.

Answer 3

No. It's not correct. But, I'm not ready to turn over the decision on where and when to deploy our military to an adult American population which doesn't know basic geography, can't distinguish between religious people and those who are fanatic killers, engages in a "mantra" about "oil for blood" when 85% of Iraqi oil is under contract to a French firm, where 15% of those polled believe the attack of September 11, 2001 was an "inside job" and where less than one in five adults have ever read the document those members of the armed forces took an oath to protect and defend: the U.S. Constitution.
BTW, this goes for both ends of the political spectrum, since there is plenty of cases of rampant ignorance emanating from both ends.

Answer 4

we already have the right to say when and where...the people we elect into office are suppose to be our voice.and we are not losing the war our brave young men and women are doing a great job in Iraq.and we would see more of that if the liberal press would show some of the good things we are doing over there but no all that can be shown on our televisions is the bad.Not agreeing with the goverment is not a crime not supporting the men and women of the military is wrong..spitting on returning soilders that should be a crime

Answer 5

Americans should have the right to say when, and where the military should be used. They pay for it but as a whole it would be impossible for every American to discuss forign policy. That is why we vote for leaders. That said no civilian in a senior position of government should have the right and in fact should be charged with treason if they give their input on how the military should be used once they are commited. We have seen way to much what happens when civilians say how the military will function, come up with troop levels, give the ROE, in places like Vietnam, Somelia, and now in Iraq. Once the civilian leadership decides to commit US personal to combat they need to stay the hell out of the way and let the military win.

Answer 6

Yes, the American people have the right to say whether or not the military option is taken. It is called writing your Congressman, protesting, and starting petitions and letter writing campaigns. It is also called VOTING, as in who you choose to cast your vote for instead of sitting at home thinking "My vote doesn't matter, so why should I vote?".

When it comes to how, when and where it is used, the answer is NO. Military strategists are much better suited to answer that question than the public or even the politicians; this is why the Chiefs of staff advise the President of possible military options. Or do you think that Joe Blow knows more than the heads of the military on how to conduct an invasion/surgical strike/beachhead defense?

Americans have opinions on everything, the war is no exception. They even have the right to express that opinion under the 1st amendment as long as they are not discussing sensitive operational data, such as troop strength, supply shipments, troop movements, etc. that would aid the enemy.

Answer 7

All Americans have the right to have and express their opinion.

It is when they have no clue what they are talking about that i have a problem with them.

The Iraq war was going poorly because major mistakes were made in the beginning, Those mistakes are being rectified, and hopefully its not too late.

Iraq is doing much better, yet the Democrats still want to surrender. I'll never understand them.

Answer 8

No is not wrong to voice out your opinion since that is what makes this country great but it is wrong to say for exp. We shouldn't be over their (for the oil or place a reason) and then say we should be in Africa protecting the people from being killed. Since the biggest thing about the military is to protect Americas way of life not to make America feel good about it self.

I could only wish that all the people who said that we don't belong over in Iraq would say I was wrong. Since liberals don't understand anything about protecting the rights of Americans plus the hatred of Bush the liberal, it makes you think is it a disease?

Answer 9

I would like people with military experience running the military.
I don't mind hearing ideas and all opinions however how can you run something you have no clue about.
You need to lead from the front not the rear.

Answer 10

Absolutely NOT!. Americans scarcely know what kind of funiture to get to match there drapes. No matter how informed we think ourselves to be we don't have a clue what is actually going on. We don't receive Intell briefs from the CIA, NSA or the DOD. We don't see Satellite photos of troop movements or intercept signal intelligence on suspected arms transfers. So how could we possibly make any kind of constructive decision on when, where and how our military is to be deployed. This is why they are the best in the world at what they do. Unlike other countries, we actually allow our Generals to make decisions.