putting things in perspective

Colleges & Universities Service Academy Parents
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<p>Long time readers know there is no sense in discussing these matters on these threads. No matter what I say, Z will always find the time–more time than I have–to make some fluff,off the wall, meaningless comment based on his perception of the world and grounded nowhere in fact. </p>

<p>It just like the statement above regarding how much Woodruff may or may not have given to military-related causes. Who knows? Unless you happen to be BW’s accountant, the statement is completely meaningless, ignorant, and without any basis to be made. You simply don’t know [and I am making a 99% bet here] what the man may or may not have contributed to military-related causes. Perhaps nothing. Perhaps, now, he has had an epiphany and will give a lot more than you are capable of ever giving. </p>

<p>Yes, you were being critical of BW. You were cricizing the whole piece as just showboating when, in fact, a great deal of time was spent on the soldiers.</p>

<p>re: DP. Are you suggesting that you don’t want to know if somebody had died or lost a limb due to neglect? If that had occurred, and it was reported as such, would that be an attack on the administration? I sure want to know these things. I am always fascinated by those who seem to not want these facts reported.</p>

<p>Will BW’s children volunteer? Doubtful. [There you go . . . criticizing a man for his children not volunteering when our President’s children and most of the children of members of congress sure haven’t volunteered either.] It’s not a significant part of our society right now to volunteer. It was worse thirty years ago; there was NO glory in even volunteering for the military at that time.</p>

<p>I have no hunt in this fight. I am not in the media. I have no relatives in the media. I really don’t think all that much about the media one way or the other. As I have said many times, bias is in the eye of the beholder. I just read as much as I can and reach my own conclusions.</p>

<p>I simply get tired of people spouting off, saying just whatever suits their purpose, making ignorant statements [yes, ignorant because they do not know of what they speak. See comment regarding contributions] at every chance they get simply because they have nothing better to do and nothing better to say.</p>

<p>Putting things in perspective? Absolutely. When there are young people dying every month [and thousands getting injured] while a bunch of nimrods sit around typing on their computers for endless hours out of the day. . . talking about how brave they were pushing buttons while at sea during a time when there was no conflict . . . well, yes that offers some perspective on how screwed up things have become. If you are under the age of 42 and have not volunteered then you have little room to criticize a man whose children have not volunteered.</p>

<p>Keep entertaining yourselves with the idea that what you have to say is important.<br>
Bored w/ this. Gone for a while. Good luck!</p>

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<p>If it’s so easy to discount, why not just do it, Bill? Attack the message instead of the messenger.</p>

<p>Show me where my facts are wrong. Show me where ANY state-run, bureaucratic organization has run an efficient, effective operation. Medicare? Medicaid? Social Security? Homeland Security? Food Stamps? FEMA? SHOW ME ONE.</p>

<p>The closest you can show me is the military, and even then it’s because of the chain of command structure holding it together. I know about it FIRST HAND, Bill. I had to go through two surgeries while in the Navy, and one of them took the vaunted system almost EIGHT YEARS to come to the conclusion that it was needed. It took my civilian doctor 15 minutes.</p>

<p>I have shown you example upon example over the months where the media has been nothing but a shill for ONE side of the political argument in this country. It is as undeniable as the sun rising in the east. They have lied, distorted, misreported, plagiarized, overlooked, exagerated, and understated stories simply for their own goals and those of their buddies. False documents during the election, but ignoring stories of eye-witnesses against the other side. The NYT publishing crap about Guantanamo torture only to discover their sole source was lying, and then burying the retraction on page H23. Running with the story that 12 miners were alive, only to discover they were dead. Calling the 2000 election while the polls on the east coast were still open. The journalistic malpractice goes on and on, and never once are THEY called to account for THEIR bias or incompetencies.</p>

<p>You hold up one example of where they FINALLY did their damned job and expect everyone else to bow down before them as being perfect. I’m sorry, but I’m not buying it and neither are many others here. I guess all of us are stupid and only you are smart for that, right? After all, you’re a Juris Doctor and we’re just a bunch of knuckle-dragging has-been veterans and ignorant working folk, right?</p>

<p>You, on the other hand, have more than once held up the VA and the military medical system as an examples of why we should go to a single-payer healthcare system. I’m not making that up; go look it up if your memory has failed you. Now THIS story comes out, and I use it as an example to rebut your earlier claim, and you call it “fluff”? Seems to me you simply don’t like anyone goring your particular ox with FACTS.</p>

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<p>Oh, but we have to sit here silently and respectfully while you have YOUR say, eh? Sorry counselor, it doesn’t work that way. I have the same right to sit at my computer saying whatever the hell I want to say as you do. I have that right because I am an American and even moreso because I wore the uniform of this country. Did you? </p>

<p>You have some nerve to question the service of those who served during peacetime. Where would your precious freedoms be if it weren’t’ for those who held the line against the Soviets and their ilk for 50 years? You besmirch the service of THOUSANDS of people who gave up their best years serving their country instead of going to law school and raking it in, and have the nerve to suggest that what they have to say doesn’t matter. Tell me, did that pompous ego of yours come with your law degree, or did you have to pass the bar to get it?</p>

<p>And then liberals and other “intellectuals” crow about how they’re NOT elitist. HA! :rolleyes:</p>

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<p>Obviously not, making absolutely ignorant comments like this:</p>

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<p>My faith in the stupidity of the liberals is intact.</p>

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<p>Let’s inject some levity into this:</p>

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<p>Tell me it doesn’t ring true. :mad:</p>

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<p>Remember when Bill whined about somebody calling him an officious jerk? </p>

<p>OJ, for short. :)</p>

<p>Hehehe. Poor baby.</p>

<p>Gone for while? Buh-bye!</p>

<p>He could’ve simply said “I disagree and here is why”, but no. All those who disagree must be branded idiots. And for someone who whines (again) about those with too much time their hands, typing away…that was one heck of a long post.</p>

<p>Buh-bye!</p>

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<p>Before I take my leave, I need to clarify something.</p>

<p>I get my “nerve” from having been one of those who actually served our country during the cold war. One of those “thousands” that held the line against the Soviets.<br>
I lived the cold war. I didn’t just study about in history books. [When did you graduate? In 1991. After the Soviet Union had disintegrated.] While you were thinking about your first kiss, I was in Moscow. Working for our government. Serving my country. In the cold. The dark. Doing dangerous thing that you have only read about. With real, live bad guys that had guns.</p>

<p>So . . l. don’t lecture me about not having served our coutnry or protecting our freedoms. Who is more important to the mission? The guy who pushes the button that launches the missile or the guy who locates the target? The both are. Much of what I have done will remain classified. It is stuff you only dreamed about while sitting in front of your computer screen. </p>

<p>Was I in a “uniform.” No. But you all assume that only those who served in uniform deserve to raise the questions that have been raised. Well, there are plenety of people who have never put on a uniform [and many that do, e.g. police officers] that make up an integral part of making this countyr secure. So get off YOUR elitist high horse and quit making ignorant assumptions about non-military personnel.</p>

<p>Oh, Spidermom. Own the insult. It wasn’t “sombody” that called me an officous jerk. It was you, via private message. I could care less what you think of me [and I am sure vice versa] since we will never, ever meet. But I am sure not whining about it.</p>

<p>No whine, just cheese.
NOW go ahead and talk to each other about how great you each are and how the media, liberals, and everybody else who disagrees with you is misinformed or whining.</p>

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<p>I thought you were leaving… :rolleyes:</p>

<p>ETA: Since you were one of those holding the line against the Soviets, I assume you will retract your “pushing buttons at sea” crack.</p>

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<p>The same remark could be made for someone making ingnorant totally disparaging remarks about those in the military who serve during peace time. One didn’t need to go to Moscow to have his a$$ on the line. And if you are too ignorant to realize this and too stupid to do anything about it, what are you doing on this military forum?</p>

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<p>Yup, I PM’d you. You chose to make it public. I thought it was pretty obvious from my prior post that I was the one who said it. Was I too subtle? You’d better believe I own the comment.</p>

<p>SO you were James Bond during the Cold War? Sure you were, and add “poseur” to the list of things I think about you…which I will promptly stop doing.</p>

<p>I think someone might be logging in as Bill these past few months. The guy we knew as a friendly curmudgeon and devil’s advocate has lost it, IMHO.</p>

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<p>Glad to see I’m not the only one who had that thought…</p>

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<p>So, will San Diego make it to the Superbowl next year?</p>

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<p>Not if someone cuts off their steroid supply! Ha! And you thought to avoid controversy! :)</p>

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<p>Shogun, you are my idol.</p>

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<p>I dunno. Who made it this year? :confused:</p>

<p>Does San Diego have a football team? :confused:</p>

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<p>More importantly…will Navy make it to San Diego this year to play in the Poinsettia Bowl? They’ve got a tough schedule coming up…Pitt, Wake, Rutgers, Notre Dame…</p>

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<p>Wow, both sides telling the other to quit being elitist…kind of ironic.</p>

<p>Wasn’t this thread about putting attending an academy and serving into perspective? </p>

<p>How about we check the political banter at the door? It doesn’t help; it only fans the fires that we don’t want here.</p>

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<p>Between USC and the Chargers, I think the best football in the nation will be played in Southern California in 2007. Thats my prediction!!!<br>
(Tempting as it is to join in the political fray, I am resisting…I am resisting…I am resisting…yes I am…really…</p>

<p>“I’m so wonery, so wonery, so wonery, so sadry, arone…”</p>

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<p>My sister says grey is the new black. What does that mean? ;)</p>

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Yep, and the majority of my 24 years of serving was just summarized by a “grateful” citizen as nothing but “pushing buttons.”</p>

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<p>ain’t America Great!!</p>