Comments on: Fort Hood Shootings and the War Comes Home

By: Windroot

Windroot — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:37:23 +0000

Hmmm. It seems to me that their is a need for a strong military. What we also need is strong civilian leadership that avoids sending soldiers off to war for anything other than the direst of necessities. The first incursion into Afghanistan arguably met that criterion, but then we segued into nation building, which is entirely different. As for Iraq, that was, as the old cynics would say, worse than a sin, it was a mistake.

I always find it worth noting that of all the main decision makers who sent us into Iraq, not one of them served in Vietnam, except Colin Powell, who should have and maybe did know better but nobody would have listened to him anyway.

By: S. T.

S. T. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:37:20 +0000

@Chinaren: If the shooter had been allowed to be a conscientious objector, or just given a discharge, 13 people would probably be alive today.
people should not sign up at all if they don’t feel like blowing people’s faces off with giant guns. Stay out of the military if you are someone who likes humanity. It would keep a lot of people out of jail if they could be used in the military instead of to jail.

By: Chinaren

Chinaren — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:30:12 +0000

“Why can’t soldier objectors be relieved of going to a war zone in Iraq or Afghanistan if they have a serious problem with combat and killing? It’s not normal for people to want to go to another country and kill other people”

Whilst I have never been for the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, I do believe that if someone signs up to be in the army, then they should be expected to be sent wherever the hell they are told to go.

I’ve never been in the army, but I know that when you go there you don’t get a choice in assignments. You have to make a commitment or not, there’s no half measures with something like this.

As for it not being normal to want to go to other countries to kill people, well again: You’re joining the army. That’s pretty much their job! What else are you doing it for? Also going to other countries to kill people is what humans have been doing ever since there have *been* other countries. So I have to say it’s probably very normal, all told.

I’m sorry for the people who died at FH, but then there’s been a hell of a lot more innocent people killed in Iraq that haven’t made the headlines, so I’m sorry for them too.

Perhaps if the war was ‘brought home’ more often, (as horrible as that is to say) there would be less of it that’s not ‘home’ too.