What about the troops? What about the troops? What about the troops?

[L A Woman]

Why does every thread that doesn't have to do with the troops get hijacked by people who pretend to be mad that the troops aren't getting enough media coverage?

If the media covered the troops 24/7, you'd accuse them of playing to the sympathies of ultra-patriotic Americans to garner support for the stupid war.

Give me a break. Pickles having skin cancer is NEWS. Three hikers missing on the tallest mountain in Oregon is NEWS. And yes, even Miss USA and Donald Trump are NEWS, albeit light human interest stories.

Sorry, but my world revolves around more than the troops. And I served in the U.S. Navy for 12 years, including serving in the Gulf War, so I understand and sympathize with their stories. We all know 3000 are dead. We don't need to draw the curtains and light black candles at midnight.

This endless "what about the troops" nonsense is so freakishly freeperish. Honestly.

[Monkeyman]

1. or what about the story that broke these kids are taken their life's

When they come home

[MadMaddie]

2. Actually the Freepers don't talk about the troops until they come

home and turn against the war....

Besides the fact that it's a waste of American lives...(we still really don't know why we went to war, even though we have our suspicans)

Let's look at what this war has done to our military in general...

Our reserve units are being called up again and again...many of these people owned their own businesses and many of them had to shut down their profitable businesses...When they come back how do they fit back into the community when their life line is gone? Impact to the community...

These troops are not getting the care that they need when they come back stateside.....mental health issues, etc....Impact on community...family etc..This will cost states, cities and towns $$$$. The VA is overwhelmed and poorly managed.....sigh....

Now * the dumbass is talking about we need to have a bigger military...to fight ideological wars....that's the stupides thing I have ever heard...but I am not surprised....Where is he going to get the boots...is he going to take money from the Air Force and Navy? Will he take sailors and make them foot soldiers....?

Anyway...I get what you are saying but I think there are huge impacts that no one is really talking about...

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. HUH!

:wtf: If the media covered the troops 24/7, you'd accuse them of playing to the sympathies of ultra-patriotic Americans to garner support for the stupid war. Are you serious?

We want the media to showcase how the troops aren't being supported by this mis administration, h ow they aren't honoring their deaths by covering up their return home and by underreporting those maimed permanently. What are you talking about?

Pickle's skin cancer isn't news I care about, nor is Miss USA and freakin' Donald Trump's adoration of her!

[Glorfindel]

4. "He's the universal soldier and he really is to blame..."

THAT'S "what about the troops" - or at least it was in the 60's when I was a draftee...

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER
Buffy Sainte-Marie
© Caleb Music-ASCAP

I wrote "Universal Soldier" in the basement of The Purple Onion coffee house in Toronto in the early sixties. It's about individual responsibility for war and how the old feudal thinking kills us all. Donovan had a hit with it in 1965.

He's five feet two and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of 31 and he's only 17
He's been a soldier for a thousand years

He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a Jain,
a Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
and he knows he shouldn't kill
and he knows he always will
kill you for me my friend and me for you

And he's fighting for Canada,
he's fighting for France,
he's fighting for the USA,
and he's fighting for the Russians
and he's fighting for Japan,
and he thinks we'll put an end to war this way

And he's fighting for Democracy
and fighting for the Reds
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
who's to live and who's to die
and he never sees the writing on the walls

But without him how would Hitler have
condemned him at Dachau
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body
as a weapon to a war
and without him all this killing can't go on

He's the universal soldier and he
really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from him, and you, and me
and brothers can't you see
this is not the way we put an end to war.

[GreenZoneLT]

5. Word.

Yeah, people don't seem always to understand that journalism is about telling stories (hopefully true ones). A good story has a beginning, middle and end. They can't drop this hiker story (which is pretty trivial, in the great scheme of things), because they're hoping for a happy ending, or a tragic ending, or whatever.

Iraq's a crappy story, because it doesn't seem to HAVE an end. And it's such a big, and long story, that journalism really can't cover it; it's really more a subject for books at this point.

[uppityperson]

6. journalism may be to tell stories, but MSM is to sell advertising space

and this is what sells. And it is really too bad. Journalism can cover parts of Iraq, how about following 1 person who is there, hoping for a happy ending (get to come home alive and sane) but no, it is too dangerous to do this and besides, it is too personal for people so back to the trivial stuff because it sells.