duty dallas it's what comes out of my butt. 990226 ... Paul Howdy! 990318 ... birdmad not so much "above and beyond" the call as "beneath and beside" 010107 ... Sintina everyone who keeps reading about the war, talking about the controversy, Please talk to a veteran of this war. I did. I talked to one while he was actually over there. And this is what he said, from within the sand, the heat, and the wind: "The anti-war people are hurting us.. the soldiers over here. We feel like warriors of an unwanted cause. We are here because we love the people of the United States, and they throw dirt in our faces with "Anti-War" rallies. We all feel bad when they chant their "Bush-Hatred" slogans.. because he's the Commander-in-Chief and whether we like it or not we have to follow him. So please, try to inform your friends that are so anti-war, that they are hurting those who fight and leave their homes and loved ones to protect them. It hurts that people protest because it's trendy... Or because they're ignorant or because they don't realize the peril the country is really in because of Hussein. Closing your eyes doesn't make the bad men go away. Closed eyes wouldn't have stopped Hitler or Mussolini, and they won't stop this man. .... I've seen enough of the intelligence to know that the war is neccesary. I don't like it... I don't want anyone to not go home. But this war has to happen. Either now, or when Iraq starts feeding terrorists chemical weapons. It's a certainty." "the war is neccessary". Yes, this man has a biased opinion. Yes, he's talking from the point of view of someone who didn't have a choice but to fight in this war, so, of course, he'd say it's "necessary". But, by god, people! Pay some freaking attention! The government and the president are not as stupid as we all want to believe they are! Because if they were, none of us would be standing here, or sitting here, writing into the blue!!! God bless this country and every living man and woman in it. And bless our enemies and forgive them. And bless anybody who reads this and agrees, and everybody who gets pissed off by this. Bless us all, everyone. Thanks. 051117 ... The Heretic SEE SUPPORT_BUSH FOR MORE UNSUPPORTED CALLS FOR BLIND PATRIOTISM. 051117 ... andru23 =================================== "When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty." --G.B. Shaw, Caesar and Cleopatra =================================== i must agree with The Heretic. sintina, i've seen enough of the evidence to know that this war is *not* necessary. prior to the war, i was not alone in knowing - yes, knowing - that there were no WMDs in iraq. the sudan-thing was dubious at best; sudan could hardly feed itself, refining yellowcake was out of the question. most of saddams weaponry CAME FROM THE U.S. saddam and al-qaeda = enemies. 9/11 hijackers = mostly saudies. afghanistan = u.s. partly responsible from 1980s. and on and on. support_bush? never. even ol' prescott bush had some sinisterk ktiesk ... these guys are bad news. where is the third brother? why is he out of the picture? cuz of a savings and loan scandal in 198x that we are *still* paying for. bad bad bad. the 2000 election was scandalous, at best. 051129 ... andru235 a close look at the same information by two people of equal mental stature can yield two very different, and equally valid conclusions. it is not our duty to agree. but those who see agreement as a duty of investigation will always protest this. 051129 ... The Heretic I AGREE WITH ANDRU'S EXPANDED DISCOURSE. 051129 ... Sintina Thanks guys, for constructive criticism at its finest. I really appreciate a friendly, non-violent debate. I still stand behind my choice to vote for Bush, and terrible as it sounds, I did it simply because I didn't want to dramatically change the government of this country during such delicate, difficult times. My only hope is a new president, but not one of the ones we've had all my life... I want a Carter, an FDR, a Kennedy, a president the people can be proud of! We need a strong-willed visionary who can unite the parties with reachable goals and well-structured plans. **sighs with pleasure** Wouldn't it be lover-ly? 051129 ... andru235 sintina, as i'm unsure whether or not you were being sarcastic about the friendliness bit, i must point to my second post, which i mean in all sincerity. 051129 ... The Heretic IN OTHER WORDS YOU WANT A DEMOCRAT. 051130 ... Sintina I wasn't being sarcastic, Andru. And I appreciate your second post and all the truth contained therein. 051130 what's it to you? who go blather from