How do you feel about this?

Question

The following statement made me proud to serve in Iraq. How do you view it or how does it make you feel?

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patrioitic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miseerable creature and has no chance of being free unless made so and kept so by the exertions of better men [and women] than himself [or herself]. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

So ducky..I should stop fighting because I am hated by some Americans also for being a woman, a soldier, black....Being truly helpful in this world may mean also helping those who may need it but did not ask for it...in my opinion

Answer 1

First of all...thank you for preserving my freedom and giving others the chance to feel the same!!! No one wants to go to war, but I have several cousins and friends who are now or have actively served in Iraq. They all are very proud and believe in the causes that they are fighting for. The world is so critical of our war efforts and the presidents decision to even be at war in the first place. The truth is that if the decision to go to war hadnt been made, the same criticism would be in place for not stepping in. I do not believe that anyone deserves to suffer and I believe that the majority of military personnel believe they are there for good reason. it's because of those who have served that we can continue to lead the lives we live. God Bless American and the men and women who fight to keep our ways of life intact!!!

Answer 2

Makes me proud too.
Joe T lemme guess, you're the same type that believes the 2nd Amendment doesn't apply to individuals even though the Supreme Court has determined legally once and for all that it does.
If you were a vet then you wouldn't call out any other mil members, serving or retired/seperated, as you would KNOW for a FACT that it isn't up to us where we go, who we fight, or how we do it. Just that we all hold one thing dear, our willingness to get the job done and our overwhelming fear of letting our buddies down. whether we believe in the war or not doesn't matter to us. What matters is the guy to the right and the guy to the left.
The quote ABSOLUTELY talks about those who refuse to fight. Back in the 1800's there were those who opposed the war same as today. Back then it referred to the Rich men that paid poor men to fight the Civil War in thier place because they couldn't be bothered to. It speaks of those who fled to Canada or Europe to avoid fighting. It speaks of the draft dodgers. If it spoke of cowards in military service it whould have mentioned deserters or cowards(we're not talking Shakespere here. Even those in Willie's time didn't talk like that) explicitly.

Answer 3

A fine saying, written in a day of greater skill with the English-word. I wish I could find a good quote by Mr Mill regarding corrupt elected officials.

Thank you for YOUR service and those of all of us who serve or served. Sometimes I watch that 90's movie "Starship Troopers" and think they had a FINE point.

Answer 4

People who answer negatively to this are a part of the instant gratification generation. They do not look past their own life in the here and now. The benefits of this war on Terror will not be seen by our generations or may be not even our great grand kids generation, but if we do not fight this war on terrorism now we will see the results of non-action before the end of the decade.

I see this statemeant as it was ment a warning / call to arms of all good people to stand and fight for humanity.

Vet-USAF

Answer 5

I read this before as an OEF/OIF vet. I have the exact same feelings towards it you do. Regardless of how I feel about the reasons for the war in Iraq the fact is clear: Some things are worth fighting for, such as our way of life, the ideals of founding fathers, etc.

Answer 6

I think Mill was talking about cowards, not about people who would do anything to avoid war---that's not the same thing.

If your point is that people who try to avoid war before picking up a gun are "decayed", you are dead wrong.

It is the person who picks up the gun at the drop of a hat who is depraved.

People who follow war-mongers without questioning the cause or reason are like slaves in my mind.

I don't think you can "cherry-pick" JS Mill to justify your role in Iraq , you have to understand his words in context.

You aren't "preserving my freedom" in Iraq, or anyone else's. That is a massive delusion. Had you served in Afghanistan in 2001 and then left, I might think differently.

I wish for your personal safety, having been a vet myself, but I hope you come to your senses and GTF out of that hell-hole as soon as you can.

You aren't helping anyone in Iraq. You are making things worse, however unintentionally.

Answer 7

Too many people today embrace pacifism. They would have us believe that peace is achievable through diplomacy and disarmament.

They are wrong. Peace can only be achieved when one combatant/nation/side is dead.

I applaud your service and your patriotism, as well as your choice of quotations.

Answer 8

Its the good, the bad and the ugly. Its good to know someone who was in the war said this, The bad degraded, and an ugly war

Answer 9

You Kick *** Niki and that's an awesome quote.

Answer 10

I want to thank you Niki for serving our country. you are a brave soul and i hope you get to enjoy all of life's riches that you desire.