Mr. Byrne,

How long and in which branch of the military did you
personally serve to qualify you to make the statement
about the people who makes up the military?

John Bawden

--- "James B. Byrne" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> On Thu, November 9, 2006 12:26, John Lee wrote:
> > Many wars are political...some are defensive, like
> the one going on in the
> > Middle East.
> 
> No, Mr. Lee.  Not many, but ALL wars are political.
> Further, for a citizen
> of a state that has launched numerous unprovoked
> invasions of much smaller
> countries over the course of the last 110 years to
> distinguish between
> political and defensive wars is, to put it mildly,
> laughable.  The U.S.
> war in Iraq is neither defensive, nor just, nor
> legal.  It was launched on
> a pretext established by deceit.  It has all but
> destroyed any prospect of
> Iraq actually becoming a modern state.  It has cost
> the lives of tens of
> thousands of common Iraqis who had no interest in
> U.S. politics and
> nothing to do with the boogeyman of "international
> terror".  It has done
> absolutely nothing whatsoever to improve the
> illusion of security that
> many U.S. citizens seemingly cherish to the point of
> killing their
> neighbours to establish.  It is a collosal waste of
> treasure and blood and
> it is happening because many people choose to hold
> on to their beliefs to
> the grave rather than admit error.
> 
> >
> > My real point in replying to you was to take issue
> with your accusation
> > that the US military is a bunch of dumb bunglers. 
> That offends me.
> >
> > John Lee
> >
> 
> Mr. Lee, your incapacity to see anything other than
> what agrees with your
> evident prejudice means that you are likely to be
> offended by a great many
> things.  That is both your priviledge and your loss.
>  I on the other hand
> take no offence at having words put in my mouth by a
> person evidently
> unfamilar with the meaning and usage of the English
> language.  I feel
> pity, yes; offence, no.
> 
> The actual makeup of the armed services of the world
> is no mystery to
> those that actually look beyond the veil of trumped
> up glory and puffery
> that passes for military ceremonial and mystique.
> The militaries of the
> world exist to further the policies and beliefs of
> the ruling classes of
> their respective countries and to secure those for
> classes their positions
> of primacy within their countries.  They are hired
> or impressed killers
> and they are made up primarily of inexperienced
> young men drawn from the
> disadvantaged of their societies. You can dress this
> unpalatable fact up
> with gold braid, coloured ribbons, arcane styles of
> sddress and
> more-or-less fashionable clothing but the bottom
> line is that armies exist
> to kill on command and most people whose have any
> reasonable alternative
> would rather not.
> 
> 
> -- 
> James B. Byrne               
> mailto:[log in to unmask]
> Harte & Lyne Limited         
> http://www.harte-lyne.ca
> 9 Brockley Drive              vox: +1 905 561 1241
> Hamilton, Ontario             fax: +1 905 561 0757
> Canada  L8E 3C3
> 
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> 


John Bawden
Homestead3000 Consulting
[log in to unmask]


 
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