Comments on: Separating War And The Warriors

Dick Meyer Considers Veterans Day And The Role Of Monuments

[quatrops]

To take a book that is essentially a compilation of centuries of oral history (with all the textual inaccuracies implied by that term) and then maintain it is "inerrant" because at one point the book itself SAYS it is is one thing.

For an individual who attests to the "truth" of the above claim to imply that his opinions about various other historical matters should be given deference because he is credentialed with a BA in history is another.

Still, the illogicity of the two claims combined is, to the average person, patently absurd. Were a person to be scoring a debate with one such participant, I think a fair evaluation of "absent" would be appropriate.

You are entitled to whatever faith dynamic works for you, Alan, as are all of us as long as it doesn''t impose on the rights of others to practice theirs. But I find your opinions on religious and political matters tend to do just that.

PS: I note you continue to judge "ignorant" those who disagree with your opinions or your interpretation of historical events. Does humility EVER intrude on your life?

[alanrobisch]

guess you can redefine anything if you use squishy enough definitions.
Posted by taxguydave

tax guy dave I have a ba in american history and you are right about the spanish american war but I might dispute the civil war since I don''t think Lincoln started the war and if any war in our history was necessary that one was. It defined our civilization.

I also dipute you statements about Vietnam. the war in vietnam did not not take on serious depth until Lyndon Johnson decided to escalate our involvement. Jfk had his hand in too in deciding what we should do there. I have never and I lived through that era ever hear that Eisehower started the war. He sent people who were advisors to help and to the best of my knowledge there were no american casualties in his term in office

yes GWB did start the war in 1992 uhuh after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and he had a truly multi lateral force and at the time of the brief war he had an almost 90% approval rating. We suffered 60 casualties approximately. I am aware there is something called the gulf war syndrome that they trace to the ammunition used.

[andor3]

"I grew up when most men were veterans and knew none that were afflicted by [PTSD]"

The effects of traumatic stress have affected many if not most veterans of all modern wars. Not everyone is affected to the same degree and not everyone shows outward signs all the time, but the effects are still there--that is well documented and not debated.

In fact many of the "war wounds" of returning veterans are not visible or obvious, many are internal.

In fact, it is misnamed: post traumatic stress is not a disorder, it is the normal reaction of a human to an overly stressful environment or situation. People who show signs of PTS are normal and need some treatment, but they are not mentally ill and should not be labeled.

[taxguydave]

Robisch starts out:
"I would remind you that virtually every major war began with a democrat in office"

After I pointed out that this statement was incorrect, he qualifies it:
"Only unpopular invasion started by pubs since 1900 is current incursion into Iraq"

You didn''t start out with the "1900" disclaimer. Or the "unpopular" disclaimer. Civil War, Spanish-American War are now excluded.

Then he apparently ignores the fact that Ike sent the first Marine units into Vietnam, and ignores Gulf War 1 completely. Are you trying to say that Vietnam started with Gulf of Tonkin, which would not have happened if our "advisers" had not already been in Vietnam?

Are you saying that Desert Storm was popular? Even though it took down a President? Or maybe it wasn''t a "major war"?

I guess you can redefine anything if you use squishy enough definitions.

[alanrobisch]

Wrong ! Typical right wing BS.


osted by tejasdemo at 11:27 AM : Nov 09, 2007

I have a BA in amerrican History and can tell you that this is accurate. YOu are the one thats ignorant. WWII FDR dem was in charge WWI Woodrow wilson dem Korean War Harry S Truman Dem Vietnam War JFK and Lyndon Johnson Dems Nixon repub continued but then ended war gulf war bush pub popular war in which we whipped butt. Only unpopular invasion started by pubs since 1900 is current incursion into Iraq

[quatrops]

Thanks for the list, taxguydave! You left out the Regan-era defeat of the global threat in Greneda!

Great post from bombid14, too. Thanks!

[tejasdemo]

I would remind you that virtually every major war began with a democrat in office including Vietnam which was the most hated and where we treated, no liberals treated the returning soldiers as scum


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Posted by alanrobisch2 at 08:46 PM : Nov 08, 200

Wrong ! Typical right wing BS.

[taxguydave]

Not that it is really all that relevant, but it was brought up...

Republican Presidents were in office at the beginning of the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the Vietnam War, as well as Gulf Wars 1 AND 2.

[v_1618]

THE ROME EMPIRE FALL BECAUSE OF THE SAME SITUATION THAT THE MISERY OF THE POOR IS THE PROSPERITY OF THE RICH.. THANKS BUSH. FOR THE SAME ***...

[bombadil4]

Where I work, we are surrounded by a half dozen war memorial sites filled with numerous monouments.. It stikes me sometimes that there ought to be at least one or two sites that celebrate national accomplishments and iddividuals outside the battlefield. Can''t help feeling all these monuments may help foster the idea that war is somehow natural rather than a tragic and repetitive exercise in a form of insanity shared by no other species on our planet. We don''t even talk about ending war much any more. And our out-of-control military/Industrial/political juggernaut likes it just fine that way. A few phony words thrown out at a war memorial on Veterans Day seems enough to then ignore the homelessness, illnesses, addictions, and broken lives suffered by so many of our sons and daughters who are sent off into these often ill-advised and tragic adventures.