Posted on 11/09/2005 2:26:03 PM PST by sam_paine
Gary Chapman, REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR
'Why aren't you in Iraq?" That's the question I posed recently to a group of undergraduates at the University of Texas, an honors class studying the legal aspects of the war on terrorism.
I tried to ask this without antagonism or implicit criticism, but the question appeared to unsettle the students anyway. None of them had given military service much thought. All of them were against the war in Iraq. They told me they support the troops, but not the war itself. They won't sign up to fight a war they consider illegal and a mistake.
....
Either we're all in this together, or we should get the hell out. We can't have it both ways.
Chapman is director of the 21st Century Project at the LBJ School. He can be reached at gary.chapman@mail.utexas.edu.
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
He just said, "We're not Rome, we're a democracy."
One of the many reasons that I will never send my kid to UT.
Priceless. What a maroon.
Here in North Dakota, those who serve are honored.
However, liberals have never held truth or accuracy in high regard.
He just said he got some angry, nasty emails from military folks. Go figure.
There's a bunch of bumper stickers on Prius/VW Bugs in Austin that sum up Travis county slant:
"BLUE IN A SEA OF RED"
"Sadly, many now think the military is for losers"
the soldiers are bigger heroes than any athlete, movie star, musician, journalist or politician.
I live in the Austin area, and like you, hope to never send my kids to UT.
Right on!
One of the problems we have recruiting from the inner city schools is that the students don't pass the entrance tests to get in the Army. In other words, they are not getting an education in inner city schools. So we are recuiting from schools in the burbs.
I know a number of honors students who are headed for Iraq, by the way.
I rarely listen to that show anymore.
For a followup column, Chapman could drive up I35 to Fort Hood and ask the same question.
Yeah. Jeff Ward has a trailer touting that the "Austin Chronicle" voted him a great radio show. He really thinks that's a good thing. Today's show is his standard baiting trick.
And get his ass handed to him by a hundred very pissed off soldiers. That's a show I would pay to see!
They can't have it both ways. Either they support our military men and women, or they don't. But supporting them equals believing in their mission.
Being as the brave and handsome Sgt. Phantom has been to Iraq twice, and I am very proud of him for that, I confidently tell any fool who tries to sell me that line that I don't need or want a word from them, when their actions clearly show otherwise.
I would say then that they are not in Iraq because they are a bunch of pampered little elitists. But you can bet your ass that, if their personal safety was directly threatened, they would be screaming loud enough for someone like my husband to come along and rescue them, because they have neither the courage nor the ability to protect themselves.
Don't you just love it when Rob Ballen subs for him?
All the more reason why I support a return to a military draft with NO exemptions for anyone.
When people have to start sharing the risk of military service thoughts will change.
Pure unadulterated bullsh*t!! These bastards are nothing but cowards and spoiled rotten young punks who think they are entitled to all the freedoms we enjoy by virtue of the fact they were born in America. They haven't the first clue what the cost was in blood and treasure was that made America the destination of choice for people world wide who seek freedom and unlimited opportunity and also allows these ungrateful jerks to babble their drivel with impunity.
Yes, reinstate the draft.
No surprise this is coming out of Berkley on the Colorado, err Austin.
I second that and loudly.
OUR SOLDIERS ARE MORE OF A HERO THAN ANY ATHELETE,CELEBRITY,JOURNALIST or DEMOCRAT POLITICIAN THAT REFUSES TO PROTECT THEIR NATION.
putz
Are you kidding me!??!!? Rob Balon is the biggest (literally) idiot that could sub! Balon is the food critic that consistently suggests chain restaurants. I refused to listen to him ever again after he complained that local mom and pop Mexican places served him LIMES in his iced tea instead of LEMONS because iced tea should have Lemons in it! Hello? Ever been to Mexico?
You're stronger than I--I had to change the station to sports talk, and I can usually hang in there for just about anything from Jeff. But you know he loves to bait conservatives with this kinda stuff.
I have to agree with you.
It is also important that every adult American gets the experience of barracks living, and having their lives controlled by the Federal government.
Then we would all understand how absurd, "I'm from the Federal government, and I'm here to help", IS.
Impossible.
Soldiers KILL people. This is like saying, "I support those who kill for an unjust cause, but not the unjust cause."
Doesn't supporting those engaged in a cause link one to that cause? Would it make sense to say, "I wholeheartedly affirm that prostitutes are noble young women, and I support them- but I find prostitution morally unacceptable and I cannot support it."(Please forgive the analogy, veterans and service members- used to clarify a point only.)
Killing for the right reason is self defense. Killing for the wrong reason is murder.
How about one of these?
1) (The students position). Our soldiers are murdering people in an unjust war- and I support them in their murder, but I do not support the war itself. (See how absurd?)
2) (My position- and MANY in Middle America). Our soldiers are defending our freedoms at home by taking the fight to the enemy. Al Qaeda was in Iraq, and is in Iraq, and it is them that we are at war with, not the Iraqi people. However, our President did say that we would, "Go after terrorists and every government that supports them" - so if "insurgents" want to lock arms with Zarqawi's boys and attack our soldiers- then our soldiers are fully justified in using whatever means neccesary to take out the enemy combatants. Therefore, I support the troops, the mission, Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and the War against Terrorism.
It doesn't help that over the past ten years the influx of REAL Berserkleyans has devolved the county even further.
They sell their Mountain View dump for $1.2M, and then move to Travis county, buy two places, and drive the Texans out to the Hill Country.
Though UT is in Texas it is a very LIBERAL university with even more anti American professors. What can we expect?
I'm having some rough work moments via email right now, so actually, Ward is seeming quite tame to me. Brit's on in a bit and I'll switch. I want to make sure I listen to all of Jeff Ward's recorded whore-a-mercials so I know who not to give money to!
Happily, we don't need them.
But can't you tell from his voice that he hates to do those commercials? It's pretty funny. Ed Clements sounds like a happy puppy when he does commercials.
The guy doesn't realize that the quality of men in Iraq is better than the men who landed at Normandy. Healthier , smarter, stronger and even better educated.
You are wrong. 99 would stand there looking on while the smallest female soldier handed him his ass.
News story yesterday is that the minimum score was lowered this time because there weren't enough with the higher cut-off to meet quotas. Random guessing would probably yield a passing score.
>>
the soldiers are bigger heroes than any athlete, movie star, musician, journalist or politician.<<
I just got the latest issue of Men's Journal magazine (a fitness, adventure, and gadget mag with pretty decent circulation.). In their reader's poll, "Soldier" was the most respected occupation with 33% of the vote. They then did a profile of one. "Firefighter" was second at 20%, "Law Enforcement Officer" was third at 14%. I don't remember the rest but got a laugh out of "Journalist" being listed as the last one listed.
Well now, we do get a few cat calls in our local movie theaters when that commercial comes on.
But what do you expect in a theater thats 50% young Airborne Troopers from Ft Bragg. :-)
Its a service related thing - if a reader hasn't done it they would never really understand it.
In fact, if you look at who is fighting for us, it is virtually every group in society save one: Hollywood male stars, unlike World War II.
My beef is guys like Balen spewing politics when he should be concentrating on his craft. As you suggested, he lacks much within his craft already.
You don't normally see serious stuff on Sacred Cow Burgers but man that one is powerful. It strikes right at the heart of the libs
Perhaps he should walk into a Marine Corps bar and let his feelings known.
Thanks much. I really wanted to stake 'em on that one after the Iraqi referendum on their Constitution.
This just BURNS me to the core.
My son - and countless numbers of his comrades- either left WELL PAYING careers or college to enlist to SERVE. He stands with high school grads and top-of-the-class college grads- and everything in between..in other words REGULAR AMERICANS.
The young people who made these statements have parents who should be ASHAMED they brought their children up to think this way.
- end of rant
re: Tim Kane
I think the first caller on the show quoted that same study.
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