Social Sense
OH, mustang, this is a wonderful piece. By the way, I did hear a quick spot on FOX last night that one more Marine has been released, found not guilty.
Mustang, while reading this, I kept thinking "What kind of a country favors the bad guys, what kind of country would set our kids up by telling them they can't shoot at a mosque because it's 'too holy' while the adherents to that 'holy religion' are shooting FROM their own 'holy' place!..." then I came to your sentence "what kind of country favors enemy insurgents of our own warriots?"
Indeed!
The answer, in my humble opinion, is a country which has created a generation so weakened and so convinced by leftist professors and leftist media that any war is bad that our soldiers are going to be looked upon as the enemy. Witness Code Pink at Marine recruiting stations, see Harvard demanding ROTC be just far enough from the center of the Univeristy so's not to be seen but still on its land so they get the financial benefits from the government...what kind of message does that send?
We are not proud of America anymore because of what the Left has done to convince us that we do more bad than good, that illegals are just nice people looking for a home, that we need to be sensitive to a religious group whose extremists want us dead, that we are doormats. It's a miracle to me that we have soldiers at all, God bless them all. And, of course, you've heard our media suggest that our soldiers wouldn't be fighting were it not for the fact that they joined up before this war, or that they couldn't get other jobs, or needed good training... leaving out the FACT that SO many kids are reupping on their own volition, many of whom I've heard say they were against the war but now are NOT, after having been there.
Oh, dear..I wrote a tome here..I'm so sorry. I am so worried that what happened to these soldiers (via MURTHA, who damned them before ever having heard ONE DETAIL!!!, what about THAT?) and what a hideous precedent it sets. I'm not a McCain fan, necessarily, but maybe we need an ex soldier to put us back on track, remind us why these kids are fighting, what motivates them to fight, their great sacrifice and that of their families, etc etc...?
As I said, may God continue to bless them all. z
Mustang,
Damn shame you're not on the Defense Team for the remaining two.
I don't know how many will be watching these two cases, but I know thee, me and many others.
In reality, the Marine Corps leadership is in the dock here.
What they do and fail to do will have national security implications more massive than many may believe.
Good on you, Sir, for bringing this to the fore.
Semper Fi,
For all the reasons Z mentioned, Americans today seem to WANT to believe the worst about our nation and those who defend her (and us) in battle.
The media, particularly the mainstream media, seem to revel in presenting the worst about those who serve. As I see it, the media have an agenda and exist today to promote specific politicians.
Battle is a different reality. Most Americans have no experience in that reality, yet many Americans are willing to rush to judgment and condemn those who are doing their duty the best they can.
An excellent essay, Mustang! From the beginning of the Haditha "scandal," I was puzzled as to what really went on. Your essay has shined the light of clarity.
Another Thought:
More American youth are killed (often alcohol or illegal drugs are involved) on Spring Break or the highways and streets of America than in combat. Where are the demonstrations about that?
What a waste. And I wonder why the Mothers and Fathers of America do not encourage their sons to become guardians of our nation.
This whole thing, of course, spins downhill, i.e. if all those journalists did not serve, they: a) have no real understanding of military affairs, equipment/weapons capability, problems of logistics and why and how campaigns ought be prosecuted.
Simpler said, they don't even know what they don't know. How can you ask really valid questions? And b) having not served (their egos, in a subliminal sense) puts them at odds with the military. This very often comes out in what they write.
The public, in its turn (who mostly haven't served either) are listening to talking heads and reading wordy intellectuals who cannot describe the difference between a mortar and an RPG, much less the greater implications of national policies.
We need bright, dedicated folks in our Armed Forces. Most do not need to stay for a career, but the lessons they would learn would advance them so far beyond others that one wonders why more do not leap at the chance. Years later, as leaders in their communities, states and nationally, they will decide the routes the USA ought take. If they didn't serve, they are more likely to make terrible errors.
Most of Congress have never served. Why?
Tad, as you know, most of Congress went to LAW SCHOOL. They not only never served, they were coddled by their folks and have adopted an elitist attitude which is embodied in people like T Kennedy and John Kerry, etc. They are ENTITLED to their thrones, seemingly. Some of them even think they can get away with murder! And they DID!
In Germany, their Bundestag, or parliament, is made up of all kinds of trades people; and teachers, etc.......I'm not saying it's better but it seems fresher to me, and I've always wished we had some good ol' American workers in our Congress.
I think that, if we took the INCREDIBLE lifelong benefits from our Congress, we'd get a whole different lot in there and they'd clean house.
It had better come soon, don't you think? because we REALLY need a good cleaning. And then we have to get down to the business of loving America and doing all we can to try to talk DOWN the socialism lite we're headed for and the premature leaving of Iraq, which would send a message to the Arab world from which we might never recover.
Z,
You really hit some important "nails". And, you hit them smartly, accurately and hard.
Readers: Ponder on Z's comments.
Socialism will be the death knell of us ALL. Capitalism and free trade is not a perfect system...but socialism is a perfectly awful system.
Meanwhile, the whole world is watching about whether we've the grit to deal with lesser and awful people in not so far-off places (in the 21st century). If we run from Iraq and Afghanistan, we will be more than sorry later.
//I think that, if we took the INCREDIBLE lifelong benefits from our Congress, we'd get a whole different lot in there and they'd clean house.//
I couldn't agree more. Most of these imbeciles could not effectively run a hot dog stand and yet, we keep sending them back to crew up our country. The reason for their attraction to these jobs are the perks and the entitlements it offers them. I am not sure the founding fathers had career politicians in mind when they laid out the framework for elected officials. Does anyone have an idea what retirement benefits of a congressman or senator entail? It's a pretty sweet deal.
We, the critical thinking public, can now see how House and Senate lifers have entrenched themselves in a system that benefits those with the most longevity. Since the American electorate is not smart enough to figure this out, maybe it's time to think about term limits. The GOP touted this issue in the 1994 Republican revolution. But when they became empowered, they soon forgot it.
They all lie to get there, and all lie to stay there. If there are term limits with stripped down benefits, there will be less incentive to remain in power, less pressure to dupe the American people and maybe more motivation to get things done to ensure some form of legacy for themselves. After that, they can use it to pad their resume when the apply for a job running that hot dog stand.
hiya Mustang!..I posted on this when it first came forth and got beautiful letters from the Haditha Marines' family members thanking me for believing in them!
LASunsett,
Come on. Would you really buy a hot dog from a former member of Congress?
(I should say there a few I like...we could muster those I like in a phone booth and have room to dance).
I would anticipate that he'd (she'd) charge MORE in taxes than the city sales tax required. Further, check the bun before you leave. There be lots of relish, mustard and catsup...and...WAIT....WHERE'S THE HOT DOG?
Has loudmouth Murtha ever apologized? It seems the far left only rushes to judgement in this case and the Duke rape case.
Where and when is the trial for the traitor that tossed a grenade at his fellow soldiers in Kuwait?
Beakerkin, I hope you will not hold your breath for the apology. Murtha had the brillant idea of redeploying to Okinawa. I doubt he has the awareness to acknowledge being wrong.
I believe we all ought to contribute even more money....and buy Murtha a map. Does he know how far Okinawa is from the Middle East? Does he know how long it takes for ships to go that distance?
Murtha's military record is about impressive as Kerry's. If anyone is REALLY knowledgeable about either one, they'd know both are clueless about the real realities of military operations.
And, No, neither one will apologize for their awful statements.
Great post and this all needs to be repeated over and over. It is too bad the far left cannot see the light.
//Murtha's military record is about impressive as Kerry's. If anyone is REALLY knowledgeable about either one, they'd know both are clueless about the real realities of military operations.//
As an enlisted man, I found there were two kinds of officers. One was the one than wanted to do a good job and actually led the troops. The other was the one that wanted to look to pad their resumes. Come to think of it, it's not confined to just military operations. The sames kinds of management styles can be found sitting around any conference room meeting table or in the committee meeting rooms on Capitol Hill.
Luckily, there were far more that wanted to do a good job, than the others.
Commenting by HaloScan
