Oh my!!!
Well, I wish I had something clever to say, but I don't. Both sides have their merits. The "I won't go, I have a family approach," and the you must, its your right view is valid as well. Well, I don't no where to begin.
I can say, after reading through this whole thread, I'm favoring Gato's arguement.
I personally probably wouldn't go. Now I will give you my reasons as well if you like. I don't believe in MOST of what we have been fighting for for the last half century. Now, if there is another WW I will go. If there is a "real threat" to the US, I will go, age be damned, and family aside, I would go!!! Ok, I'm not that old yet, but by the time it happens I probably will be. The fact is simple though, if my family, my life, my freedom, and my country are not at risk, its not worth it. Saddam is not worth it, most of the things we have been involved with for as long as I can remember aren't worth it. To state it more clearly, not only weren't they worth it, I was opposed to most of it. I refuse to sign up, and give away my rights and my life for a cause I don't believe in. I will NEVER do that. If I believe in it, if its that important to me, if its life or death for my family, or country if I don't, I will go. Nothing like this has occured in my lifetime, not saying that it won't, but it hasn't yet. As things stand, I won't enlist, not EVER if things continue as they are. I refuse to be the "worlds policeman" and that is why I would NEVER serve. I object to the goals sorry, thats my excuse.
However, I don't feel that I'm a hypocrite cuz I don't approve of these silly wars or "police actions" if we are to be more correct.
My biggest problem is the families of our military men and women, and of the Iraqis. What about them? You guys won't serve, and frankly I won't serve either, but we (some of us) use arguments that our family is more important, our economy is more important, and well, I just don't want to die for this (that IS what you are saying, anyway you look at it). Ok, so you don't want to die for it. Obviously you don't want it that bad. You do want OTHERS to die for it, whether they be ameican service men and women or Iraqis. I can't agree with this arguement, no matter how it is made. Now I tend to lean to the right a little, but I will say this just the same. People on the right tend to argue logic, and reason, and leave the emotional appeals to the left, at least generally speaking. However, once logic and reason fails, we seem to rely on an appeal to emotion as well. Sorry, this is simple distraction. Ok, I'm using it too now, but the only way to argue against "an appeal to emotion" is with another. Its simple logic 101, if you can't beat the logic or reasoning behind your opponents arguement, attack the person, or appeal to emotion. Well, I did it too, I admit it. But I'm not trying to pretend I'm not.
I don't want this war, I don't want to die for some silly country in the middle east that can't manage to sort out its own affairs and manage a revolution on its own if they really "want a new gov't." Now I never argued that they DID want a new gov't, but some here have, so I'm just throwing that in. Its not our job, its theirs!!! Its illegal to interfere. Any International Law people out there want to argue otherwise? I don't want any of you to die for this, any of your children, or any of thier children, fathers or mothers (I mean the Iraqis).
This is stupid. I'm sorry, its just plain stupid. If we didn't play "world policeman" so much the towers would still be standing in NYC and if you guys can't see that, then you watch too much television. They didn't do it JUST because they hate us, they did it because we won't let anyone be. And if they do hate us, its because we THINK we are the "worlds policeman." If you want to stop terrorists, then stop showing support for overthrowing soverign nations gov'ts, and otherwise meddling in other nations soverign affairs, and the other illegal actions on our part!!! This isn't the first, and wont' be the last I'm sure.
by the way, the members of the military volunteered to serve and protect our country, not to be world policeman. At least last time I checked. Btw, why is it you think the US wants to be free from prosecution by the world court? Because these and other such actions are legal????
I'm sorry, but I think if you break down Gato's argument to the most fundemental form I must agree. If you don't support it enough to die for it, if in general ALL AMERICANS don't support it enough to die for it, then its not worth it (maybe he didn't want to say it that way, but I'm gonna put it that way, sorry).
We have a military to defend ourselves, not to build an empire. As such, I don't support all this garbage!!!