Affluent families:Support the troops.

[bigrun]

Sounds like a good plan...

WASHINGTON --
If you have military-age children who have not served in this decade's wars, then you owe a debt — meaning money — to those who did. That's the premise of a new fundraising effort by three wealthy American families who want to help U.S. veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Every nonmilitary family should give something, they said. The affluent should give large sums. No one should think of it as charity, but rather a moral obligation, an alternative way to serve, perhaps the price of being spared the anxiety that comes with having a loved one in a war zone.

"We have three able-bodied, wonderful, wonderful children, all of whom are devoted to doing very, very good things around social justice; and we could not be more proud of them," said Philip Green, a local businessman who devised the fundraising idea. "We're also delighted that none of them had to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan."

"Millions of Americans and their families have sacrificed so much in the conflicts and they have such needs," Stimmel said. "By contrast, so many affluent Americans have not made a commensurate sacrifice; and they should."

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/n...ps-ar-2034862/


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Poster comment to article by Juan Cole...unrelated to above story but a theme many agree with..

06/14/2012 at 8:01 am

If anyone believes as I do that the rock-bottom lowest a human being can sink is to support a war he or she expects anyone but themselves to fight or make sacrifices for, then the moral turpitude of Americans is clear. We crossed a moral Rubicon in early spring 2003 and we haven’t come close to recovering from it.

That said, I hope things aren’t as bad in America as you and I think they are

[Danzig]

I would prefer if the people with influence would think a lot longer and harder before committing our troops to begin with. And maybe if they served, or had someone in their family who did.....it seems those who most view war as glorious are those who have no clue about what it actually entails. It angers me to see soldiers whose lives are permanently alterd, and for what? What cause of ours was so righteous, so just?

[bigrun]

Originally Posted by Danzig

I would prefer if the people with influence would think a lot longer and harder before committing our troops to begin with. And maybe if they served, or had someone in their family who did.....it seems those who most view war as glorious are those who have no clue about what it actually entails. It angers me to see soldiers whose lives are permanently alterd, and for what? What cause of ours was so righteous, so just?

you are talking to the saved here...You ever see Fahrenheit 9/11 where Moore (bad guy i know) was outside Congress trying to nail a member and ask them if they had anyone serving in the military...didn't get a response from anyone...

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by bigrun

you are talking to the saved here...You ever see Fahrenheit 9/11 where Moore (bad guy i know) was outside Congress trying to nail a member and ask them if they had anyone serving in the military...didn't get a response from anyone...

haven't seen it, don't care for moore-altho i did enjoy roger and me. the further removed they are, the less i think they understand exactly what they're demanding of their troops.
yes, they volunteer-doesn't mean they volunteered for a bs reason.

there are three things needed to wage war, money, money and yet more money.
another quote is something like war's begin when you say, but they don't end when you will.
another on what's needed/reasons: including a righteous cause, a noble intent, and that you can win. no one cares how righteous your cause if you lose. and there's no sense taking up arms if you can't accomplish what you set out to do-hello, afganistan....

[bigrun]

Originally Posted by Danzig

haven't seen it, don't care for moore-altho i did enjoy roger and me. the further removed they are, the less i think they understand exactly what they're demanding of their troops.
yes, they volunteer-doesn't mean they volunteered for a bs reason.

there are three things needed to wage war, money, money and yet more money.
another quote is something like war's begin when you say, but they don't end when you will.
another on what's needed/reasons: including a righteous cause, a noble intent, and that you can win. no one cares how righteous your cause if you lose. and there's no sense taking up arms if [b]you can't accomplish what you set out to do-hello, afganistan;/b]....

Said a million times, take out terrorist bases, capture or kill bin laden and get the hell out...March-2003 the month that will live in infamy..i.e. Iraq..

'Wars begin where you will but they do not end where you please' - Machiavelli

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by bigrun

Said a million times, take out terrorist bases, capture or kill bin laden and get the hell out...March-2003 the month that will live in infamy..i.e. Iraq..

'Wars begin where you will but they do not end where you please' - Machiavelli

yeah, that's it..had the gist of it.