DISQUS

The terrorists are also emboldened when we refuse to shoot into crowds at them.
Maybe we should start shooting them wherever they are instead of using
fire control discipline.
It seems just as silly to me to suggest we attempt to restrict our own freedom of speech.
Free speech is one of the most powerful weapons man wields.

Howardx,
You are absolutely correct. The country is an absolute mess. The Bush administration has wrecked it. I voted for Bush so you can blame me, too.
I believed the crap they spewed. But after going serving this administration I can tell you firsthand, its all manipulation of information, propaganda, and just plain lies. But so what?
Bush's friends and business associates will have made off with hundreds of billions. Enough to ensure security for their bloodlines for hundreds of years.
You only have to watch a little TV to see what people will do for a few thousand dollars.
Imagine what these crooked f!$%ers will do for billions.
If we continue on this path we will be made vulnerable to a hostile takeover.
We will be financially unable to defend ourselves. We will be forced to borrow from the Federal Reserve Bank, again. The FRB (private parties) will "own" us all over again. Then we will be forced to pay extra taxes to them just like we do now (IRS).

...speaking of which...I apologize for not checking my spelling. I just get so excited.
The Markets...geez. The entire US machine called America is losing its value.
The whole darned thing is slipping down the slope while politicians huff and puff and bluff. Soon the dollar won't be worth a thing, and foreign interests will have bought us all up, company by company, acre by acre. Maybe then someone will consider this more than a "slowdown." Chasing a made-up enemy called terrorism is leaving us open to the only kind of attack that could really hurt us. An economic attack. They will buy us up and buy us out, all while the eyes of America stare intently at Fox or CNN telling us the danger is in the Middle East.
Sure, there IS danger there. But the real threat is the one that comes silently.

Osama Bin Laden?! Are you serious? Do you really think they are looking for Osama Bin Laden? I'm so sure. No one can hide form the military might of the United States. Nobody. If they want you they come and get you in your sleep.
The intelligence capabilites that our country posesses are far beyond your wildest imagination.
I think that a positive aspect of the war is the effect it will have on Iraqi society. They will experience more freedom. I know this for a fact. I have seen it in action.
People have always ranted about removing Isreal. Isreal is mighty military force in and of itself, well respected in the military community for their superior tactics and real-world successes.

"...European countries are paying 3 times what we pay here..." So what.
Saudi's are paying $0.60-$0.70 a gallon!!!!!
They're killing eahcother in Iraq because that's what you do in a CIVIL WAR.
Americans have almost no knowledge whatsoever of the tribal factions in iraq because the media proudly proclaims all the enemy to be Al Queda. Do you know the difference between a contracted insurgent and a mujahadeen?
I can tell the difference by the shoes they wear and the weapons and equipment I strip off their dead bodies. I can tell the difference by the types of tactics and military maneuvers they attempt. By the kind of fighting they engage in.
You can tell by the news reports that are wholly inaccurate anyways.
I respect your opinion and I'm glad you're sounding off. To have this discussion is a patriotic act. So you're doing your part.
The truth of the sitiuation is that there will continue to be bloodshed in Iraq, probably for a thousand years. The reasons for fighting right now, though are to get a piece of the Iraq pie. Use your head. If they don't fight for it now and win a piece, they will be mucled out later, and the tribe itself will suffer economically and will become victim to more powerful tribes, who fought harder or bought more weapons or hired more Syrian contractors.
By the way, conspiracy is as old as the concept of government itself. If you don't believe governments are well versedin the ancient art of conspiracy then you know nothing about what a government is. Of course you've probably never worked as an tasctical operator going into somoene's house in the middle of the night to snatch them out of their sleep and make them disappear, so its probably all fiction to you.
I love and respect our troops in a deep way. I feel their pain. We need to bring them home. They are good, honorable men and women who will always give their all to protect and defend our country. They fight wherever Americans asks them to. Shame on America for sending them somewhere without knowing first what was really going on.

"To have war you must first have profit to be made." -Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"
We are in Iraq for oil. We are in Afghanistan for the natural gas pipeline. Make not mistake. Anybody here ever heard of Darfur? That real terror.
There aren't enough "terrorists" in the world to cause the damage that politicians have. Do you think that terrorists have the power to strip you of your constitutional rights? Never. But the power-hungry petroleum and defense interests that are making record-breaking profits while our country slides into a recession (or "slow down" as Bush called it) can easily (lobbying) strip you of your rights, as you rally behind "the cause" to destroy our unseen enemies. The Patriot Act has done more damage to our country than all the terrorists in the world ever could. You can quote me on that.
And most people "don't even know what the hell an Al Queda is". There are hundreds of real terrorist groups out there. Al Queda is one of them. But to blame every security issue on Al Queda is just rediculous. AL Queda was trained by the CIA to fight the Russians when they tried to seize the natural gas in Afghanistan.
I could go on forever so I'll spare you, but the point is that Washington is using Al Qaeda as an excuse to fleece the nation. Check the price of gas and the potroleum companies' tickers. You are paying at the pump, while your servicemembers pay in blood. Get a grip. Screw everybody's "feelings." Even mine. Kelson's right about that one.
Doing what's right is hard... in so many ways.
Iraq will eventually stabilize just like Vietnam. With or without us.

It is sad that a servicemember may feel hurt by the social conflict created by a war they may be participating in. This is something that I personally have dealt with myself, and has caused me alot of heartache recently. But I signed up for military service as a volunteer.
I should have considered the very real ramifications of joining an organization whose business is killing. Alot of kids join for vocational training or college money. If you are foolish enough to join the military for those reasons without considering the consequences then you may find yourself dealing with a lot of psychological and personal issues. It sucks to join the military for college tuition only to find to get your college money you had to kill other human beings in some brutal and gruesome way, while your comrades kill and die by your side.
There is such a thing as taking personal responsability for your actions. Even if you were unable to predict the outcome of your decision making.
I joined to be a Marine. I thought about the life and death thing alot. But I never knew. I never REALLY knew. Not until I experienced it. Even now I don't know if I would have chosen differently.
I hope the things I say about the war don't hurt our veterans. But I have an obligation to my country, my family, and myself to tell the truth. I fought for the American way of life. In theory, this also includes freedom of speech.

Rachel,
Do what ever you can. Do something. It seems like maybe you're doing it, just by creating discussion. The last thing I ever want to see is a war that we ALL agree on. When we engage in any task that has such a huge effect on human life, there should always be someone asking "...are you sure this is right?"
And if you don't think its right, you're obligated to shout it form the rooftops.

Well, I spent some time on the ground in Ramadi, in what is commonly called Al Anbar province. I was with 2nd Battalion 5th Marines, Weapons Company.
If there's ANYONE who's seen more shit over there than the Marines I fought with, then I wanna meet 'em. Because that's one hard son-of-a-bitch. There are good things about our presence in Iraq. I had Iraqis thanks me personally for ousting Saddam. I saw gold plated bolts on lightposts, where the people outside the palaces had no running water. I've met Saddam's turture victims, and women who still don't know where their husbands are. I saw the improvements in Ramadi. Children going back to school. Girls, especially, whom some factions want to ban from attending school, or driving. So let not mak eit out to be black and white. We STILL should not be there. Sorry. Its been a hard thing for me to deal with. I sent a dozen buddies home in body bags. I know what human guts smell like. I've seen civillians grinded up like hamburger so that you couldn't tell if the body part you're looking at was part of a penis or an ear.
I don't just support THE troops. I support MY troops. As a Marine Sergeant or Corporal, you lead men into these fights. Your job is to get them back out alive.
These are my troops. My friends. Men I fought and bled with. Bring them home.
They've had enough.
In 20 years Iraq will be a huge tourist attraction. "A Marine died here on this spot 20 years ago." Should we leave them hanging? No. We need to ensure a stable transition, but that's not an excuse to linger and steal gas while companies like Chevron and Kellog Brown and Root make record BILLIONS. Do you know how many Wendy's or Subways there are in the middle east now versus 10 yeard ago? check it out for yourself. Do your own homework. Research, research, research.
Don't ever talk bad about those boys over there either. They believe in their hearts that they are protecting the farm from terrorists. Maybe because that's what Fox News and CNN have been telling them. I was in gun battles or missions that were on CNN and Fox. Guess what? You will never believe this...they both told their own version. a version that somehow seemed to parallel their political/corporate ties. God Bless America. Support the troops. All that. just let our sons and daughters, our moms and dads come back home. Screw oil, buy bio-diesel if you really want to support the troops while saving the American economy and the environment. Yeah, right. Next week you'll still be standing at the pump feeding the machine of war with your ever-so-convenient paypass or whatever. Out.

Maybe someone should ask if local police officers recieve any kind of training to make them especially aware of the unique laws concerning marijuana in this state. Long Beach Police are still arresting medical patients who are clearly not operating criminal enterprises. Most of these stories never make the headlines because the prosecutor uses manipulation tactics in conjunction with the public defender and the detectives to make the defendant take a plea agreement, which is in and of itself not even legal unless the prosecution is "lacking sufficient evidence to prosecute." If you lack sufficient evidence to prosecute, then why are you threatening to try that person to begin with? Who's not doing their job? The prosecution wants a win, the public defender wants an easy out, and the judge wants a clear calendar without the hassles of trial.
Now as far as the dispensaries and the feds....the feds still havent caught any real terrorists, they can't keep coke out of the country, they can't control illegal immigrtion, so why are they wasting good field agents in North Hollywood or Long Beach?
My opinion is that thry are using fear and scare tactics (letters to landlords threatening to seize property) to manipulate landlords, cooperatives, and patients, which makes them by definition "terrorists."
Our constitutional rights have been removed. Stolen by politicians and corporations who profit from incarcerating "drug offenders." How much do thethe correctional officers unions spend lobbying in Sacramento? "More time for less crime."
Please! Lets get out of the business of prisons, and into the issues of family and
our environment. Healthcare and real education. As Americans, when are we going to start taking care of Americans. Quit turning the other cheeck. Stand up for something, or there'll be nothing left to stand for.

Hmm..you guys should let me print your shirts.