jym626

LOL marite.

Zoos-
Well, ouch. Calling you a nazi? That would be unpleasant, to say the least. But there have been many vociferous, sharp-tongued conservative posters who seem to have revelled in grinding non-conservatives into mincemeat. Those posters seem to have gone to greener pastures as well. Maybe the particularly unkind politicos took their battles elsewhere. Well, lets hope.

momof1

1. I just don't see many of the same usernames from the Service Academy forums here in the Parent Cafe. I didn't mean conservatives but those who have posts in the Service Academy Parents forum. I see Bullet, but I think that is all on this thread.

2. It is my experience that there is a very negative attitude about the military in the Parents Forum. I think I explained that.

3. Ask Owlice. Notice no one is dogging her for her post.

Just saying.

jym626

momof1-
With all due respect, Owlice's post was funny, not confrontational. And I think your assumptions about people's attitude about the military is, frankly, unfounded. People have a negative attitude about the war, not the military. I think many of us spoke to that here. *Please* take a look at several of the posts in this thread that speak to this.

I thought this thread was about the presidential candidates. Your post seemed to have changed that. Again, JMO, FWIW.

WashDad

You mean a writer on "Common Dreams" thinks that conservatives are stupid? Stop the presses! Coal is black! Snow is white! Water is wet!

emeraldkity4

I know isn't it a shocker!!

I did add a winkie didn't I?

I would agree that many of the posters are liberal, just as many are conservative and some are socially liberal and economically conservative, some might be moderates and some are independents.

Does it really matter?

I am however insulted by the implication that liberals don't care about our men and women in the armed forces. I don't go to the service academy threads but that is because those I know in the service, enlisted.

Like these fine men.
MySpace.com - Glen Nery memories - 56 - Male - SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - www.myspace.com/glen_nery_memories

ucsd_ucla_dad

Some of us just laughed at that post and didn't take it seriously especially since it clearly has no merit. It didn't look like it was meant seriously.

There's room over here - invite them over.

Perhaps from some of the posters but not all.

enderkin

i just fight anarchists. that seems to be about all, really.

marite

ucsd_ucla_dad:

Thanks for correcting the generalizations. I agree with you. "Some posters" is not the same thing as "the Parents' forum."

ucsd_ucla_dad

^^ marite:

I just noticed - >10,000 posts!. That must be at least close to a record.

marite

Well, I've been on CC a long time and haven't changed my screen-name.

hayden

momof1 - jym, marite, etc. are correct. I applaud your son's decisions and accomplishments, and wish him safe and well in his chosen path. I'm pretty sure most everyone in this country does. I rarely if ever hear/see anyone criticizing the military. I'm not sure why you seem to think that criticizing the military is "inevitable". Conflating the war with the soldiers is so Vietnam era - but that was 35 years ago.

Take a look at some of the anti war people in politics today, and you might be surprised how pro-military many are. The guy who is behind the DailyKos, which is about as liberal as you can get, enlisted and served in the army for 3 years. Senator Webb certainly is pro military, and has a son in the service now.

On the other hand, many - certainly not most - of the pro-war people never served because, in the words of VP Cheney, they had "other priorities".

On this forum, it is dangerous to make too many generalizations. I'm generally a liberal democrat, but I am irrevocably opposed to abortion. There are others who are strict parents with strong family values, who are as more liberal than I am in their political views. There are a few who are quite conservative, yet are looking at Obama with an open mind.

Again, congratulations to you and your son. Hope next week goes well, and you get good weather for all the celebrations.

Bay

In defense of momof1's generalization, I have read numerous postings that describe someone's kid's decision to join the military or ROTC or a service academy as, in essence, a horrifying fate worse than death. So yes, it has happened.

jym626

Bay-
Could you perhaps find a few of those numerous posts where cc parents have equated someone's decision to join the military with a horrifying fate worse than death?

marite

But I suspect that the reaction is due to the risk of death, not due to moral repugnance for the choice as such. We admire heroes precisely for taking the risks.
In a time of war, it is definitely important to consider the real risk of death. I was flabbergasted by the reaction of some in the military at the beginning of the war who were aghast at the idea of being deployed. They had been attracted by the services' pitch about furthering their education, learning skills, etc.. and had not given serious thought that they might actually see combat.
It is entirely appropriate to urge caution; it does not mean attacking or despising the military. On the contrary, such caution can go hand in hand with great admiration for the men and women in the military.

jym626

Well said, marite (as usual).

I find it interesting tht this thread was started with an overgeneralization claiming that CC in general was replete with liberals. I wonder, if it were not for the second generalization posted by momof1, about people disliking the military and those who choose to serve, that has redirected the conversation here, what would we be talking about? While I try to steer clear of most of the political threads, I seem to remember a fair number of discussions about the republican candidates, about gun control and other political hot potatoes that indicate that there are a fair number of posters on both sides of the political spectrum.

Maybe this thread has reiterated that we shouldn't overgeneralize, regardless of the topic at hand.