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Why do people who never served in the military have a military/war opinion?

jamesrage

jamesrage

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I figure if abortionist can try(notice I said the word "try",meaning they have yet to succeed) to pull this kind of stuff why not those who served in the military?

Why should those who never served have any opinion about the military and its policies? Should those who never served shut the hell up about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars? After all they are not in the military,most likely they have never met anyone who has served unless that person is just a disgruntled soldier or marine and I am pretty sure a lot of those anti-war nuts will never serve a day in the military. Should those who never served have an opinion about don't ask don't tell? After all most of those people whining how we should allow gays to serve openly have never served in the military and even those that have served have never served openly. Should those who never served whine about how are military are getting either too much or too little pay or benefits? After they have never served. Should those who have never served whine about Fort Benning's School of Americas/Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation? After all they have never served and I am pretty sure most of those conspiracy nuts protesting the school have never even stepped foot on the school or even Fort Benning GA itself.
 
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jamesrage said:
I figure if abortionist can try(notice I said the word "try",meaning they have yet to succeed) to pull this kind of stuff why not those who served in the military?

Why should those who never served have any opinion about the military and its policies?
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I suppose it has something to do with the same reason we vote. Just sayin'.
 
Ya know, in a sense you have a point.

I was rejected for military service due to a hearing problem. While I'm proud that I tried to serve, nonetheless I didn't have the actual experience of being in the military. This is one reason I'm hesitant to weigh in on certain military-related questions, like the issue of gays in the military; certain other technical or personnel matters. A fair number of these questions, imo, ought to be settled by a "blue ribbon commission" of highly experienced and decorated vets, non-comms and officers, or just left to the pentagon.

War, of course, is another matter since it has the capacity to affect all of us under varying circumstances.


G.
 
nah but soldiers should probably shut up about politics.
No one cares what u think. We'll let u know when we want u to kill somebody.
We call the shots.
Ur hired muscle.
U serve us.
 
Real Talk said:
nah but soldiers should probably shut up about politics.
No one cares what u think. We'll let u know when we want u to kill somebody.
We call the shots.
Ur hired muscle.
U serve us.
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lol :funny :funny
 
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Real Talk said:
nah but soldiers should probably shut up about politics.
No one cares what u think. We'll let u know when we want u to kill somebody.
We call the shots.
Ur hired muscle.
U serve us.
Click to expand...

And you Sir and Frigging idiot, I would love to see you go up and tell a few of my Special Ops/Navy Seals friends this see how long it would take you to get layed out.
 
Scorpion89 said:
And you Sir and Frigging idiot, I would love to see you go up and tell a few of my Special Ops/Navy Seals friends this see how long it would take you to get layed out.
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ignore it. Stupid opinions like those die in the wind faster. :2wave:
 
I take it sarcasm and satire aren't you guys' forte, huh?
 
Goshin said:
Ya know, in a sense you have a point.

I was rejected for military service due to a hearing problem. While I'm proud that I tried to serve, nonetheless I didn't have the actual experience of being in the military. This is one reason I'm hesitant to weigh in on certain military-related questions, like the issue of gays in the military; certain other technical or personnel matters. A fair number of these questions, imo, ought to be settled by a "blue ribbon commission" of highly experienced and decorated vets, non-comms and officers, or just left to the pentagon.

War, of course, is another matter since it has the capacity to affect all of us under varying circumstances.


G.
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My military experience is 16 years out of date. I don't let that slow me down. Everyone is entitled to their opinions.
 
jamesrage said:
Why should those who never served have any opinion about the military and its policies?
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People have opinions.

Some people have opinions that are worth a damn.

Some people have opinions that are laughable.

Listen to the first and be entertained by the ignorance of the second.

If that doesn't work, add beer.
 
Real Talk said:
nah but soldiers should probably shut up about politics.
No one cares what u think. We'll let u know when we want u to kill somebody.
We call the shots.
Ur hired muscle.
U serve us.
Click to expand...
Verily, sir, you are a poor replacement for Kipling.
 
Scorpion89 said:
And you Sir and Frigging idiot, I would love to see you go up and tell a few of my Special Ops/Navy Seals friends this see how long it would take you to get layed out.
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Same thing could be said about denying prisoners the vote.
Wouldnt mean **** there either.
Tigers and grizzly bears can fully waste me 2 bro. Shall we give them the vote?
 
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Real Talk said:
We call the shots.
Ur hired muscle.
U serve us.
Click to expand...

Im serious about this part by the way.
We are, in a sense, your highest superiors superiors superior
The president answers to us.
And we discuss what we feel.
The military is a public service, and civilian discourse is PART of how that gets held acountable (through the chain of comand. we talk amongst ourselves, and lobby the comander and chief).

You guys are supposed to be the most well trained robots you possibly can, whos only real concern is for the mission as dictated by orders and operating procedures. Not to critically examine politics, particularly foreign policy with an open mind.

And beyond that, I think an openly nationalistic military speaking loudly about politics can often undermine the military.
If I were to become a profesional soldier, I would cease to discuss politics related to anything my military had policies on outside my profesional capacity. With the exception of criminal orders, which I presume one would be professionally obligated to report.

If I ran a military, the working civilian would be exalted as the paragon of virtue and our raison d'etre.
 
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Real Talk said:
Im serious about this part by the way.
We are, in a sense, your highest superiors superiors superior
The president answers to us.
And we discuss what we feel.
The military is a public service, and civilian discourse is PART of how that gets held acountable (through the chain of comand. we talk amongst ourselves, and lobby the comander and chief).

You guys are supposed to be the most wellt rained robots you possibly can, whos only real concern is for the mission as dictated by orders and operating procedures. Not to critically examine politics, particularly foreign policy with an open mind.

And beyond that, I think an openly nationalistic military speaking loudly about politics can often undermine the military.
If I were to become a profesional soldier, I would cease to discuss politics related to anything my military had policies on outside my profesional capacity. With the exception of criminal orders, which I presume one would be professionally obligated to report.
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Then I stand corrected. Scorpion was spot on in his assessment.
 
jallman said:
Then I stand corrected. Scorpion was spot on in his assessment.
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I beg to differ.
A professional soldier should not be concerned with international relations outside his professional capacity.
It is his job to implement will.
Not to have an opinion.

As for having an opinion, this is fine.
But I feel the antionalistic ramblings of many military personal undermine the mission. Alienating allies. Polarising enemies. And sacaring the insecure. In ways that if they were truley acting professionally, they would not allow.
 
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Real Talk said:
I beg to differ.
A professional soldier should not be concerned with international relations outside his professional capacity.
It is his job to implement will.
Not to have an opinion.
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It's nobodies job to have an opinion, outside of a few writers/media people. And yet here we are.
 
Redress said:
It's nobodies job to have an opinion, outside of a few writers/media people. And yet here we are.
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It is a civilians job to have an opinion. And soldiers are also civilians. But I maintain what im saying about not allowing that opinion to undermine the mission. I take quite a strict interpretation of this.
 
Real Talk said:
It is a civilians job to have an opinion. And soldiers are also civilians. But I maintain what im saying about not allowing that opinion to undermine the mission. I take quite a strict interpretation of this.
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You have some example of an opinion effecting a mission?
 
Real Talk said:
I beg to differ.
A professional soldier should not be concerned with international relations outside his professional capacity.
It is his job to implement will.
Not to have an opinion.

As for having an opinion, this is fine.
But I feel the antionalistic ramblings of many military personal undermine the mission. Alienating allies. Polarising enemies. And sacaring the insecure. In ways that if they were truley acting professionally, they would not allow.
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In terms of talking about policy, ill ask the military when its time to work out how ebst to kill people. The rest of the time. There opinions are no more valid than any other persons.
 
Real Talk said:
In terms of talking about policy, ill ask the military when its time to work out how ebst to kill people. The rest of the time. There opinions are no more valid than any other persons.
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No one has claimed otherwise.. However, there are times when people in the military know more on a subject than others, and in those cases, it is beneficial to seek them out as experts, and this is done. It is appropriate.
 
Redress said:
You have some example of an opinion effecting a mission?
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I take a liberal interpretation of the mission. But yes I do.

President Obama is currently courting world opinion, particularly in Europe.

Yet hear, on DP, we have servicemen bellitling European historical and contemporary honor.
While obama is mending fences with Europe, guysgt is burning bridges. With the very same people.
People in that context, in my opinion, should shut the **** up, from a military standpoint.
 
Real Talk said:
I take a liberal interpretation of the mission. But yes I do.

President Obama is currently courting world opinion, particularly in Europe.

Yet hear, on DP, we have servicemen bellitling European historical and contemporary honor.
While obama is mending fences with Europe, guysgt is burning bridges. With the very same people.
People in that context, in my opinion, should shut the **** up, from a military standpoint.
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I don't think I am too worried about the .000000000001 % of Europe that any poster here has pissed off.
 
Redress said:
No one has claimed otherwise.. However, there are times when people in the military know more on a subject than others, and in those cases, it is beneficial to seek them out as experts, and this is done. It is appropriate.
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sure. no problem.
 
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