Rest in Peace.

God bless and protect our men and women in uniform.

3/23/2008 11:34:54 PM

That's 4000 too many and far more unnecessarily wounded.

3/23/2008 11:37:37 PM

Bring 'em on!
Mission Accomplished!
USA! USA! USA! USA!

3/24/2008 7:16:25 AM

God bless our Military.

3/24/2008 7:32:19 AM

The worst part to me, is that as a result of politicizing the war, every individual man's sacrifice becomes political ammunition.

These men and women deserve much more than that.

3/24/2008 7:55:11 AM

What's the really bad part about this is that the media has the whole production ready for DEATH 4000 as if it was somehow more important that death 3999

3/24/2008 8:02:41 AM

It's just easier to remember large even numbers with lots of zeroes.

3/24/2008 8:08:31 AM

Or it's prettier on screen when you do a special on it.

3/24/2008 8:10:59 AM

DON"T MESS WITH TEXAS!!!

USA #1

3/24/2008 8:37:09 AM

I can remember during the first Iraq war the news agencies used to do a bio on most of the soilders killed. I think honoring these guys is more newsworthy than Lohan having a drink and britney flashing her vajayjay. We seem to promote the idiots in our society.

btw, look how young bush looks in that picture. geez, he has really aged.

3/24/2008 9:08:29 AM

more americans have died in this war than on 9-11

3/24/2008 9:39:20 AM

Quote :

"The worst part to me, is that as a result of politicizing the war, every individual man's sacrifice becomes political ammunition. These men and women deserve much more than that."

My intention for this thread was to have a place where everyone can set aside their differences politically or otherwise and honor the sacrifices made by our armed forces. They do not decide where they are sent or under what circumstances and have dedicated themselves to a devotion to our nation few of us would be willing to undertake ourselves. For that I honor them with my continued gratitude, and am humbled by their patriotism and bravery.

I salute all our service men and women, offer my condolences to those killed or injured, and pray for each of them to return home to their families safely.

God bless America.

[Edited on March 24, 2008 at 9:49 AM. Reason : .]

3/24/2008 9:48:02 AM

thanks, gamecat, for diverting the thread.


Judge, I'm with you. Godspeed to our soldiers.

3/24/2008 9:49:20 AM

[Edited on March 24, 2008 at 9:50 AM. Reason : not in this thread]

3/24/2008 9:50:19 AM

i think people are not looking at the whole picture here. once we win this war we are gonna have free oil forever

3/24/2008 9:50:45 AM

I'm more concerned about the pending water crisis than I am the oil problem. Life can continue without oil, it can't without water.

3/24/2008 9:53:06 AM

we're back up to 85%... we're fine.

3/24/2008 9:54:15 AM

we're fine for now, but shit is going to get rough when Ma'ta'ma'ho'ma'to'a's well runs dry and his neighbors' wells run dry. We got ourselves a border war now.

3/24/2008 9:56:40 AM

This is why I don't post in the soap box. Don't let me catch you guys in chit chat, I think i'm gonna take this tribute to the lounge

3/24/2008 9:59:06 AM

Honor and protect your troops.

Bring them home.

[Edited on March 24, 2008 at 10:00 AM. Reason : or on...to the next battlefield...]

3/24/2008 10:00:20 AM

and therefore let their sacrifice be for nothing.

3/24/2008 10:09:59 AM

Their sacrifice already is for nothing.

3/24/2008 10:13:11 AM

only respect for those that have served

What they do over there is more than a job and for those that gave their life and limb, im not sure we can ever show enough appreciation.

3/24/2008 10:59:07 AM

Quote :

"My intention for this thread was to have a place where everyone can set aside their differences politically or otherwise and honor the sacrifices made by our armed forces"

What's to honor? Your worthless fuckstick of a president sent a bunch of volunteers off to invade another country and some of them got killed.

Oh, and when he sends them off to Iran, the same thing will happen.

3/24/2008 11:25:12 AM

He's your president too.

3/24/2008 11:26:51 AM

^I'm happy to report that he is not.

3/24/2008 11:28:12 AM

Don't change his world view like that. It could shock his system.

3/24/2008 11:30:03 AM

The Judge: I fully understand the idea behind the thread, and agree with the sentiment.

At the same time, the best way to support our troops now is for them to have the equipment and resources they need to train the Iraqi security forces to take over and get the majority of our guys home, or at least out of the policing stage of the mission.

3/24/2008 11:41:38 AM

Don't forget about the > 70,000 Iraqis murdered, most of which were innocent.

3/24/2008 1:42:26 PM

^^^<3

3/24/2008 1:45:23 PM

or the 2 million who had to flee the country

3/24/2008 2:16:11 PM

I can't wait to post again when IT'S OVER 9000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3/24/2008 2:20:33 PM

Quote :

"btw, look how young bush looks in that picture. geez, he has really aged."

that'll happen when millions and millions of ppl hate your freakin guts even if you do what you think you should. i would never want to be president, ever.

Quote :

"They do not decide where they are sent or under what circumstances and have dedicated themselves to a devotion to our nation few of us would be willing to undertake ourselves. For that I honor them with my continued gratitude, and am humbled by their patriotism and bravery. I salute all our service men and women, offer my condolences to those killed or injured, and pray for each of them to return home to their families safely. God bless America."

[Edited on March 24, 2008 at 2:42 PM. Reason : ]

3/24/2008 2:38:54 PM

3/24/2008 5:41:19 PM

Quote :

"Their sacrifice already is for nothing"

I was a youngster during Vietnam. I lived in Hawaii where many of the soldiers disembarked from the battlefield. The scorn I saw the older kids giving these guys was despicable.

Having to face the horrors of warfare and then aggressive rejection from their misguided liberal cohorts..very sad. We must be careful to not blame the soldiers, even if they are volunteers, for the policy.

I disagree with Bush's strategy, but agree with Judge that those dead and wounded should be honored. We do not have to honor the policy that sent them into battle...but honor them for their love of country and their ultimate sacrifice. No soldier who dies in the course of his duties dies in vain.

3/24/2008 7:51:12 PM

Quote :

"I salute all our service men and women"

Even the ones who raped little girls, committed murders and then planted shovels on them (to make it seem like then were digging to plant roadside bombs), committed massacres, tortured people, killed civilians in custody, etc?

Quote :

"Don't forget about the > 70,000 Iraqis murdered, most of which were innocent."

Quote :

"or the 2 million who had to flee the country"

Huh? You mean to say this illegal war of aggression was fought because Bush cared about Iraqis?

And, the number of Iraqis killed ranges anywhere from 100,000 to 600,000 depending on who you ask. And yes, 2-3 million have left their country.

3/24/2008 7:59:35 PM

Sez EarthDogg:

Quote :

"No soldier who dies in the course of his duties dies in vain."

That applies to the Iraqi soldiers who died in the invasion of Kuwait, right?
And the Taliban who died in Afghanistan?
And the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese who died in Vietnam?
And the Waffen-SS who died in the Soviet Union?

Cuz, there's nothin' more noble than to get yer ass blown off fer some cause or other!!

Bring 'em on, yeah!!

3/24/2008 8:01:49 PM

Quote :

"there's nothin' more noble than to get yer ass blown off fer some cause or other!! "

Even the hippie radicals who blew themselves up accidentally making home-made bombs in their garage?

3/24/2008 8:08:44 PM

^Mate, yer the twisted fuckstick who thinks that all soldiers' deaths are noble.

3/24/2008 8:18:07 PM

Holidays you'll never see...

International Veterans Day

3/24/2008 8:31:28 PM

^^

Would there be any cause noble enough for even you to die for?

[Edited on March 24, 2008 at 8:33 PM. Reason : .]

3/24/2008 8:33:21 PM

I support my troops by bitching about Iraq in hopes our gov't brings them back to the safety of the US

3/24/2008 9:18:41 PM

I won't say "all" and I won't say "none" about much of anything and actually mean it.

There were dicks in American uniforms who did unforgivable things. Still do, no doubt. And there were Iraqis who were in Saddam's army because they needed a job that would pay and wouldn't get them in shit with the government. And there are civilians who are dead because we invaded, and even though so far these represent the greater number, there's at least some who are alive for the same god damn reason.

Certainly some of the dead on both sides were of the asshole variety. They can all lick Saddam's balls in hell, for all I care. I also won't make much allowance for people who committed their evil under the stress of events. If God wants to do that, that's His business.

And don't act like you don't know why the 4,000th death is specifically noted. It's not just because it's a round number, an even number. It's because no person out there can maintain their sanity, not the biggest Quaker or Buddhist or whatever else, mourning each and every tick of the abominable count the exact same. It's the same reason you don't rejoice equally over every single dollar raised for your favorite charity, each and every birthday, or even each and every wedding anniversary. People work around milestones. It isn't that people are more upset over the end of soldier 4,000, it's that they're upset over the ends of 4,000 soldiers, most of whom were good and decent people.

And so they're dead, and we have these basic camps to deal with:

1) There is no hope, these men have died in vain, and all we can do now is to prevent more from dying in vain by bringing them home. This is Gamecat, et al.
2) There is still some hope, and if we handle things right we can make it so the present and future dead have not perished in vain. This is me, et al.
3) There is no hope, these men have died in vain, and indeed anyone who puts on a US uniform lives in vain. This is JerryGarcia, and in the absence of Steve the Nazi he's the biggest fucking prick on this board.

3/25/2008 3:44:14 AM

Quote :

"I support my troops by bitching about Iraq in hopes our gov't brings them back to the safety of the US "

Funny that most of the men and women who actually have to go over there bitch way less than some of you people do about Iraq.

3/25/2008 9:50:18 PM

Quote :

"2) There is still some hope, and if we handle things right we can make it so the present and future dead have not perished in vain. This is me, et al."

What would it take in Iraq to make it worth the deaths of 4000+ Americans and 100,000+ Iraqis? (serious question)

3/25/2008 9:53:30 PM

How Do You Ask a Man to be the Last Man to Die for a Mistake?

John Kerry
April 23, 1971


[Edited on March 25, 2008 at 11:09 PM. Reason : .]

3/25/2008 11:08:03 PM

^ Iraq is a bit of a boondoggle, but it's too early to really be calling it a "mistake."

3/25/2008 11:19:40 PM

Quote :

" Funny that most of the men and women who actually have to go over there bitch way less than some of you people do about Iraq."

Statistics please. not to mention they are indoctrinated since bootcamp to accept the order of their superiors and through group theory are encouraged to support the war. Not that this is a bad thing; but they pay big bucks in the military to help keep troop morale up and part of this is to make them believe in the cause.

3/25/2008 11:38:55 PM

Quote :

"1) There is no hope, these men have died in vain, and all we can do now is to prevent more from dying in vain by bringing them home. This is Gamecat, et al."

I'll appreciate you speaking for yourself, GrumpyGOP.

3/25/2008 11:57:50 PM

http://www.army.com/enlist/

3/26/2008 12:00:14 AM