What does "support the troops" mean...

Heineken Helen · March 2008

Sian-of-the-dead wrote:

I thought this thread was about what support the troops meant to us personally? I do believe that they are brave men and women. I can tell you that fighting for causes they may not believe in to make me and my family feel safe in our beds at night and to help people thousands of miles from home that will never thank them certainly makes them heroes in my eyes. politics aside, I may not agree with the causes but they do something that I couldn't.

can I ask you how the fact that they're fighting an illegitimate war for 'a cause they don't believe in' (which in the British army would have been a minority at the beginning) makes you feel safer in your bed at night? That they're over THERE killing men, women and children for no reason rather than you? That they're encouraging terrorism? If your parents, siblings and dog were killed in these circumstances, if you lost your limbs... would you grow up loving the country and people who did that to you?

I'd say it's pretty safe to say that British occupancy in Northern Ireland only made people a little bit more annoyed.... so hence encouraging terrorism/freedom fighting.

Byrnzie · March 2008

Sian-of-the-dead wrote:

hero –noun, plural -roes;
1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.

I thought this thread was about what support the troops meant to us personally? I do believe that they are brave men and women. I can tell you that fighting for causes they may not believe in to make me and my family feel safe in our beds at night and to help people thousands of miles from home that will never thank them certainly makes them heroes in my eyes. politics aside, I may not agree with the causes but they do something that I couldn't.

First of all, who do you need protecting against? Iraqis? Since when?
Secondly, who are they helping in Iraq? Over 1 million Iraqis have been killed and many more have fled the country. How is that helping them?

DriftingByTheStorm · March 2008

leethal wrote:

Its genius propaganda: [...]Its a distraction from real issues. There is no intellectual basis.

+100

I "support the troops", in that i know the majority of them really think they are doing the right thing. I mean, hell, why would your government lie to you and send you to war for unjust reasons?

Beyond that sense of the term, it is as leethal said, pure propaganda.

PARTICULARLY, this variant, which just makes me want to kill, myself: "Support the troops by supporting the mission".

Yeah right. Propaganda^2 !

sapperskunk · March 2008

Heineken Helen wrote:

can I ask you how the fact that they're fighting an illegitimate war for 'a cause they don't believe in' (which in the British army would have been a minority at the beginning) makes you feel safer in your bed at night? That they're over THERE killing men, women and children for no reason rather than you? That they're encouraging terrorism? If your parents, siblings and dog were killed in these circumstances, if you lost your limbs... would you grow up loving the country and people who did that to you?

I'd say it's pretty safe to say that British occupancy in Northern Ireland only made people a little bit more annoyed.... so hence encouraging terrorism/freedom fighting.

I couldn't agree with you more Helen, I wish the British didn't waste their time on such a piece of shit region like Northern Ireland either.

Poor poor limeys.

PJ_Saluki · March 2008

That's one helluva question. What the does "support the troops" mean? U.S. soldiers aren't conscripted, though some may believe they have no other choice but military service. I guess the way I look at it is, I hate the war and the jerks who started it, but I respect the men and women who are willing to risk their lives in service of their country. Sure, some of them have self-serving reasons to join, but I think there are probably just as many patriots doing the same. And yeah, some soldiers just want an excuse to legally slaughter brown people, though I won't look at all veterans as stone killers. I hear "The Star Spangled Banner" quite a bit because of my job and when it plays I always try to think of the men and women in uniform who are in the military. I'll buy 'em a beer when they get back stateside or send 'em an e-card at Xmas, but I guess I really don't do shit to support the troops and I'm not even sure how I could support them. Yep, sounds like some propaganda to me. Bush and his cronies played on the sensitivities of U.S. citizens by separating the individual soldier from the despicable war in Iraq. Afghanistan was righteous, but this other thing...

Commy · March 2008

leethal wrote:

Its genius propaganda: It takes a great deal of skill or luck to create an arbitrary statement that the vast majority of people would agree with yet create an imaginary division.

The statement cannot even be defined: Do I just support the troops to remain unharmed? Do i support the troops to kill? Its a distraction from real issues. There is no intellectual basis.

well put

Abuskedti · March 2008

Collin wrote:

... to you?

a mantra that helps releive or covers up guilt

sponger · March 2008

Maybe people have forgotten, but the Iraqis welcomed the troops with open arms when Saddam was toppled. Then came about the civil war and that's how you get a majority of these 1 million dead iraqis.

Now they have changed their minds and they want the US gone for whatever reason, but I doubt few people would argue with the notion that the absence of US Troops would lead to even further genocide.

So, with that in mind, it's safe to say that Iraqi lives are at the present moment being saved by the presence of US soldiers. And again, initially, they WANTED the US there. The fact that they're pissed about it now interfering with their own political agenda is a different story, especially when considering that their political agendas most probably involves killing just as many if not more of their fellow Arab countrymen than have been killed so far.

Abookamongstthemany · March 2008

I don't support the troops to use force and power to over take other people and their homeland. I don't support them to kill or maim.

I support them to return home safely. And I support them to defend our homeland when under a persistant attack as a last resort when all other means of resolution have failed. We've never been under such an attack.

Heineken Helen · March 2008

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

I don't support the troops to use force and power to over take other people and their homeland. I don't support them to kill or maim.

I support them to return home safely.

AFTER they've done everything you say you DON'T support in the first paragraph?

see that's what I don't get... if people were out there doing that in MY name, I certainly wouldn't be campaigning to bring them home safely.

Abookamongstthemany · March 2008

Heineken Helen wrote:

AFTER they've done everything you say you DON'T support in the first paragraph?

see that's what I don't get... if people were out there doing that in MY name, I certainly wouldn't be campaigning to bring them home safely.

I don't wish ill will on anyone. I think they, in many cases, were misguided, lied to, had faith that they were doing the right thing....and even the cold blooded types who have killed innocents...I support them in coming home to their families. They have to live with their guilt not me. To wish them to remain in harm's way, dying one after another would make me no better than them.

And they haven't done anything in my name. I never gave an order or even encouraged the occupation. They do what they do in the name of the US gov't that lied to put them there.

Heineken Helen · March 2008

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

I don't wish ill will on anyone. I think they, in many cases, were misguided, lied to, had faith that they were doing the right thing....and even the cold blooded types who have killed innocents...I support them in coming home to their families. They have to live with their guilt not me. To wish them to remain in harm's way, dying one after another would make me no better than them.

And they haven't done anything in my name. I never gave an order or even encouraged the occupation. They do what they do in the name of the US gov't that lied to put them there.

I don't wish harm on anybody... but if they go out there doing all the aforementioned, the only reason I'd want them home is to face justice. Why would I want a load of killers coming back safely to their families and reintegrating back into the community? It makes no sense. Living with their guilt isn't enough... cos some probably don't have any.

Abookamongstthemany · March 2008

Heineken Helen wrote:

I don't wish harm on anybody... but if they go out there doing all the aforementioned, the only reason I'd want them home is to face justice. Why would I want a load of killers coming back safely to their families and reintegrating back into the community? It makes no sense. Living with their guilt isn't enough... cos some probably don't have any.

I don't believe in vengence. If there are soldiers who have committed crimes(and I know there are) I hope they see their day in court. But that doesn't keep me from supporting all soldiers in coming home. What else should I do? Wish they'd rot over there?

Heineken Helen · March 2008

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

I don't believe in vengence. If there are soldiers who have committed crimes(and I know there are) I hope they see their day in court. But that doesn't keep me from supporting all soldiers in coming home. What else should I do? Wish they'd rot over there?

Justice and karma aren't quite the same as vengence.

I'm not saying you have to do anything... I'm saying I wouldn't give a shit if they got home safely or not.

Abookamongstthemany · March 2008

Heineken Helen wrote:

Justice and karma aren't quite the same as vengence.

I'm not saying you have to do anything... I'm saying I wouldn't give a shit if they got home safely or not.

,

See, you can wish good will towards everyone even your enemies and karma...the laws of the universe, will take care of things as it should.

All I know is the sooner they come home, the sooner all the death and destruction will cease. And that's good enough for me.

Heineken Helen · March 2008

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

,

See, you can wish good will towards everyone even your enemies and karma...the laws of the universe, will take care of things as it should.

All I know is the sooner they come home, the sooner all the death and destruction will cease. And that's good enough for me.

ah no... I don't waste my good wishes on people who don't deserve it... but that's just me.

electronblue · March 2008

Abookamongstthemany wrote:

I don't wish ill will on anyone. I think they, in many cases, were misguided, lied to, had faith that they were doing the right thing....and even the cold blooded types who have killed innocents...I support them in coming home to their families. They have to live with their guilt not me. To wish them to remain in harm's way, dying one after another would make me no better than them.

And they haven't done anything in my name. I never gave an order or even encouraged the occupation. They do what they do in the name of the US gov't that lied to put them there.

nicely said..and i agree...~

GreenTeaDisease · March 2008

a lot of the "support the troops" rhetoric is a response to what happened when people came back from vietnam.

PJ_Saluki · March 2008

Heineken Helen wrote:

Justice and karma aren't quite the same as vengence.

I'm not saying you have to do anything... I'm saying I wouldn't give a shit if they got home safely or not.

So when you say that, are you talking about the American citizens who signed up for the armed forces after 9/11? Did those folks do something wrong? Or, are you only speaking of American soldiers in Iraq? You say you have a brother in the Irish Army, but then you say you don't care if soldiers come home alive? That's cold. It's also cold to live across the ocean from the United States and disrespect the friends and families of soldiers who are serving their country by honoring us with your I-don't-give-a-shit-about-your-troops rhetoric. For such a humanist, you sure aren't scared to bury U.S. soldiers, and honestly, it offends me. I know you're old skool and well respected on this board, but sitting on a computer and ripping U.S. soldiers seems out of line to me, regardless of the source.

Cosmo · March 2008

The whole 'Support Our Troops' is basically empty lip service. Anyone can utter the words, "I Support Our Troops"... but what does that really do? Nothing. That's what. Empty words.
The only ones that are paying a price for this bullshit in the Middle East.. the soldiers and their families. That's it. you can also include the 10 year ols and younger who will end up paying for your 'Support'... because you would much rather pass the bill on to the ones with no voice in the matter than lose your precious 'Hard Earned Pay'. You are making no sacrifices in this one... you are not being forced to ration any of your goods or services... you are not having your taxes increased to pay for the war... to pay for the health and welfare costs of wounded returning veterans... you are not seperated from your loved one for months at a time... and you are not in the cross hairs of some fucking Iraqi sniper. Slapping some lead laced 'Made In China' magnet on the back of your 10 MPG F-150 pick up truck may make you feel good... but, really... what good does it do?
...
You want to support your troops? Then fucking DO something. There are military bases and recruitment stations all over this country. Try driving you sorry ass to one of them and paying the tab for a booth where a soldier and his wife and 2 little kids are having breakfast. Give some of your weak ass 'tax cut' bullshit to the many soldier's families support groups out there.
...
A grateful nation is supposed to take care of the ones we send out to face the bullets and bombs... but, our nation is more concerned about our money... than our soldiers. Saying, 'I support our troops' is basically a means to relieve our guilt for not doing fucking shit in this war... and yet... still supporting it's prolonging.

What does "support the troops" mean...

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