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Old 07-21-2008, 04:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chan View Post
Not everyone joins the military out of a sense of duty; many join for the benefits.

I simply don't see how what the government does to the veterans is really any different than what employers do to some of their employees. In both cases I operate under the assumption that they're going to chew you up and spit you out.
Well, yes, but even those who join out of a purely mercenary motive deserve honor and care, when that duty is done.

On the one hand, I agree with you that troops know what they are signing up for, and have no standing to complain when they are used stupidly.

However, I would expect that this nation owes some reciprocity to these soldiers. It speaks volumes about how we view them as mere tools to be employes and then discarded. When you serve your country, it's only right that the country serve you.

I don't get this. The people who relentlessly shout "Support the Troops!" when someone criticize our military's actions in Iraq, and become patriotically indignant at the merest suggestion of impropriety or savagery of our troops, seem to be the very same people who defend our national policy of discarding them and ignoring them after their utility is done.

Why are the people considered "liberals" the ones most upset about things like Walter Reed and stop-lossing?
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