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Lt Col Alan West


Guest williestokes

Do you think he deserves his punishment? See below.  

19 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you think he deserves his punishment? See below.

    • Yes
      10
    • No
      7


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It's tough to disagree with

 

What is not right is the little war hawks who talk of things that they are so unwilling to back up with their lives, refusing to put their ass on the line.

 

and

 

If we are better than our enemy, we have to be better than our enemy. Period.

 

I don't know, I really don't know now, what a tough call. Again, I wish I don't end up on either side of the pistol in that type of situation......provided of course I am only a suspected terroist insead of an actual one.

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If only you were older, you should enlist in a branch of the service of the military that woulld put you on the front lines.  Otherwise your words are self-serving, to say the least.

 

Nuke and I disagree and that is ok, America allows disagreement, and I respect Nuke in that he has been there, he is in the service and has been there.  My son is there now, a Marine.

 

What is not right is the little war hawks who talk of things that they are so unwilling to back up with their lives, refusing to put their ass on the line.

 

If you believe it, you do it - and I don't mean go to DC to lobby.  You can do that now.  When you are 18, feeling as you do, their is only one morally consistent place for you to go.

Well, ok. I was on the front lines, in one of the 1st units to go over the border back in march, and I would gladly pin a medal on that officer myself.

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Well, ok.  I was on the front lines, in one of the 1st units to go over the border back in march, and I would gladly pin a medal on that officer myself.

Nuke, we disagree on this, as we have on other things, and our perspectives and life experiences are different and that will account for that, there is no right, there is no wrong, there is only being faithful to the truth as we are given to see it. You have put your ass on the line. I deeply respect that - you are no armchair warrior or sunshine patriot. I am a pacifist. I think the witness must be there that there are other ways than violence since there are so many witnesses for violence. All I asked of my sons was they make their mind up with a clear conscience before God and my younger son, the Marine, did just that - and hey, if that is the way that he feels called, in a real world there is military, so God bless him and God bless you and God bless everyone whose life has been on the line doing what they have been asked to do, doing what you have been called to do.

 

I never ask for everyone to agree - I only ask for internal moral consistency. You were there, my son is there, no armchair warriors here and I find myself supporting a general for president so it goes how it goes!

 

You were in many prayers there, nuke.

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Nuke brings up an interesting point. I'm going to take his comment and spring a question. Who should define the rules of war? If both sides agree that firing past someone's head to get them to speak, or other forms of torture are ok, should politicians around the world or the men and women fighting the battle decide? I always thought of how I would want US and Allied POW treated and expected out military to do the same. I am probably way off base, since I have no military experience.

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Nuke brings up an interesting point. I'm going to take his comment and spring a question. Who should define the rules of war? If both sides agree that firing past someone's head to get them to speak, or other forms of torture are ok, should politicians around the world or the men and women fighting the battle decide? I always thought of how I would want US and Allied POW treated and expected out military to do the same. I am probably way off base, since I have no military experience.

The Geneva conventions dictate all of the rules of battle. Anyone who signed them has to adhere to them, there is no negotiating them.

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The Geneva conventions dictate all of the rules of battle.  Anyone who signed them has to adhere to them, there is no negotiating them.

Which, in a round about way, is what I'm saying. Should the world's armies revisit the conventions in light of new technology?

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Which, in a round about way, is what I'm saying. Should the world's armies revisit the conventions in light of new technology?

Honestly I don't think it would help. It is hard to get people to agree. Plus in the course of world history, IMHO, the only real progress made in peace areas seems to be after huge tragedy has taken place. I don't think we will see significant progress in this area until a bio or nuclear attack has taken place.

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Honestly I don't think it would help.  It is hard to get people to agree.  Plus in the course of world history, IMHO, the only real progress made in peace areas seems to be after huge tragedy has taken place.  I don't think we will see significant progress in this area until a bio or nuclear attack has taken place.

Well thank you for that bit of a cheery prediction

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So maybe if we all forgot the last time we won a WS was 1917 we may repeat?

 

People can't think past the obvious to see the principles are the same in many situations. The names, places, and dates may chance but the road is well traveled. I strive for a consistent ethic in life. Fair for Fair. Doesn't always work, and is sometimes very difficult, like in the case, to achieve.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest williestokes

I left for reasons outside this board. Nothing on this thread. Although I disagree, I can take the differing opinion.

 

And cwsox, if you read an earlier post, I want to be an army infantry officer. Happy? :headbang

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