Like I said I am interested in both supporters on non-supporters opinions. I know what my stand point is but I am hoping to gain insight into others stand points without arguing. I'm not playing both sides but staying open minded and non-judgmental in an attempt to gain understanding. We can pointlessly argue all day long over our opinions and get the thread locked like most other political discussions or we discuss our opinions openly like grown ups and maybe gain something in the transaction. I'm sick of arguing over this crap but the last discussion really peaked my interest as to how many support the war and why. That's why I am hoping for a discussion rather than a flame war and that's why I am trying to stay in control of my thread. I don't feel holier than thou or anything like that as you put it.

 

And you're doing a good job of it, too. We can't blame you because some people just want to argue no matter what.

 

I wish there was an option of maybe I support it, or sometimes

I did vote no. Guess comming from a vet that sounds funny. At the start I was behind everything that had to do with taking that SOB out of power. Over time after the truth about did he have WMD came out and still nothing has ever been found I started thingking maybe we jumped the gun. I was very happy to see him out of power and sitting in jail. As the death toll has climed I felt it was time to get the troops out. On the same thought I know since we started something we need to do are best to finish it and do it right. So sometime I think we need to stay and get the place back on track.

I do think that he had the will and means to get the WMD's at some time and may have used them agaisnt us. IF he didnt her would have sold them to someone who would have used them. So he did need to leave.

I think we took on to much at one time. We should have first put everything into finding the other SOB in the caves since that is what this war was based on, and how it all started. Once we found him then move into getting Saddam taken care of, if he kept(and I know he would have) acting up.

As far as the men and women over their doing their job you have to stand behind them. Many of them did not ask to go over and do this, they do so because it is their job and they are told to do this. Just like the first gulf war. I did not want to go over there, but I knew that at some time I could be sent over to fight in some war. Many of the people serving may feel the same way. Just because they are fighting in what may be an unpopular war doe not mean you should turn your back on the troops. Just remember that those you turn your back on because you dont like the war could the same ones who will have your back if the USA was ever attacked, or invaded.

Sorry off the soap box on that, back the the topic, No I no longer support the idea of us being over the fighting but know we need to finish it.

See why I needed other choices.

 

So far poll wise after a day it seems like there are more people don't support the war than people that do. That's how it seems with most people I talk to about it around here. Maybe that's because I'm from a blue state or something though.

 

I want to thank everyone for openly sharing your thoughts with me without being argumentative. You guys are helping me realize several things. Firstly even though we may not agree on the overall aspect of us being there we do share some similar thoughts and feeling on certain aspects so we're not necessarily all that different. Secondly not everyone that supports the war is a war mongering non-peace loving person. You guys are helping me get more of a grasp for a side I don't understand and for that you deserve my personal thanks.

 

War, I'm rarely for it,as conflict often breeds more of the same. Heck, the US stopped showing and making a big stink to the public the figures for "terrorism around the world". We touted that it went down since we started the war, but when the actual real figures were analyzed, the opposite was more than true. Since then, we have been quite on the matter.

The only immediate good I have seen is that Libya has decided to become a bit more agreeable to the west. Though Libya HAS killed a large number of US citizens during peacetime , Anyone remember Lockabie, Scotland?

Oh yes, it is good Saddam is out of power, though like Mussolini, he kept the trains on time while slowly killing his people with that sadistic dictatorial stranglehold. At least Iraq's borders were less porous during his reign, he kept most vicious competitors out. The cat and mouse game he played with the inspectors seemed to keep him out of the WMD game. He was a terrible piece of work.

We really should have finished off Osama before commiting to any other war effort. Rumsfield was/is a fool. I'm even more happy he is gone than Saddam. Rummy posed a greater threat to our troops than Saddam, so spoke an Army friend of mine who is in and is serving in Iraq.

This same friend explained a sad reality to me. You see, he routinely murders civilians . These are his orders. He watches through his scope with his spotter ( he is a sniper ), and if anyone is seen on a cell phone near an explosion when it goes off, he is told to shoot them. Since bombers use spotters to call in when to blow the bomb, it is figured that these folks on cell phones are the spotters. If several people are seen on cells, he shoots them all. Not the greatest campagne for winning the hearts and minds of the locals, from what I can tell.

He also watches executions through his scope and sometimes shoots the executors after he has called it in. But just as often he is told to not intervene, even, and especially when it is a police captain or some such being executed. His higher-ups have some political agenda, this is obvious.
War is crazy hell, and should be avoided.

I'm not sure the "fight'em over there" philosophy really applies to this War on Terrorism. It is simply a war without borders and without end. It will never end as long as some pissed off whacko can blow themselves up and take others with them. We are well beyond the idea of being at war with a radical state. We are in a radical state of war with humanity, and humanity is very complex.
Modern weaponry makes it all to easy for one to take on many.

Harsh isolationist borders may be the scared rabbit answer. Then "THEY" would have won in other ways..................

 

The gap is closing. Only a couple more yes votes and it 50/50. Based on public opinion polls and my talks with people I know I kind of find that surprising. I think the last public opinion poll I saw only like 25 or 26% of America sided with the war. I need to see a recent poll of how the Iraqi people feel.

 

With the question worded that way, I can not answer. I support this country and it's men and women in uniform. I support the decision our leaders have set forth. I support the efforts this country has given to those that can not defend themselves.

If you don't agree, that's your choice. Support is support, requardless whether you agree with it or not.

I'm done.

 

You are right. In retrospect I should have worded my question differently or added more options for answers. I guess I made the question to vague and open ended. At least a lot of us are giving written responses to elaborate on what I forgot to add or didn't make clear. Sorry!

 

I think it has more to do with the demographic of HHR drivers, or at least my perception of the demographic of HHR drivers, than the polls being wrong. Your just getting a piss poor sample in this forum.