www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I am not sure of the former, but if you have some shit to put out that is in any way derogatory to any soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, or Coast Guardsmen then please put it down and I am sure you will have at the very least a very spirited debate.

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“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits

If anyone has the right to dsicuss military issues it is Steven1. Thanks for your service Steven.

Please explain. Is he Chesty Puller? I mean arguably, I have more time in a T10 than he has in a T-shirt? Come on man, get off ur barstool and talk some smack.

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“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits

Tbones:

I trust what Steven1 has told me until proven wrong. He told me he is a Vietnam Veteran and I have no reason not to believe him unless proven wrong somehow, so I thank him and all our citizens who have served.

Agreed that can serious in a hurry--mix in a Marine fireteam and it's Katie bar the door. Testosterone-fueled thick enough to cut with a KBar. Hell, Marines fight with each other if nobody else is available. "My Regiment/Battalion/Company/Squad are the badest ass MF'ers on the Planet", sez one group. "The hell you say", sez another. And the battle is joined. Anecdotal but I've seen it a few times. And, hey, don't mix the airdales with the grunts--guaranteed mayhem ensues. Navy "Docs" get a free pass--somebody has to stitch'em up. And they are really the baddest MF'ers on the planet. No joke.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

How jacked up a statement is that?! Not fun putting this down via a laptop, either. TB, you referring to a tank or parachute rig? I thought I had read you're in the USAF? (Correction, I see you is Army.....and since you been in so long, I know you've got to be a full bird Col. or higher at this point and if you ain't, you been passed up and can forget it; you gonna be like my grave yard dead granddaddy who was passed up time after time for being correct and right and not a brownnosing SOB!!! This despite the fact he flew with Billy Mitchell and, in fact, helped start the Air Corps; went out a full bird; never made it to General....but that is another story....)....And the BCD is a bad thing? Looks to me like the military is just handin' 'em out to any and all that don't kiss proper ass!!! HELL, I EARNED MINE! Are you the offspring of that jackass captain I fragged outside of An Loc in April, 1972? Didn't hurt the prick...just blew up his ever so nicely folded skivvies.... (2MOB; USAF; and...oh yeah....whoever thinks The Marines (!) are the first in can kiss my ass....weren't any around to be seen whenever we went in an put down como or were having a party as the FAC's "Marines are the first is just tv silliness....but this ain't about comparison....it's about learning from our mistakes which career jockies don't do.....learn....and that mostly include the bankrupt politcos which the armed forces is full of with their clean, crisp, ironed pretty clothes....)

The USA hasn't been able to mind it's own back yard since before Ollie North, Ronnie Raygun, and all that Iran Contra jive. Costa Rica is the lone outpost for "democracy" in the region which the USA can point to and tell all the others to emulate to be....and yet after simply scratching the surface, one can easily determine CR ain't all too much different from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, etc., etc., etc. The Oligarchy is strong and well here....and I dare say getting stronger....

I find it beyond amusing, being a conscriptee and all, when all these boys and girls wail about being sent overseas to fight the rich mans' war for what I have no clue...but it sure ain't to find WMD or to "set my people free"!!!! These dopes enlisted for the easy milkgravy money and then actually had to earn it! They got them fancy car license plates saying they are "Warriors"....going off to National Guard or Reservist camp so as to give each other hand jobs from what I can tell...nah....they signed up for this jive....let 'em have all that can be thrown at 'em. "Captain, the Sgt. called me a pusssy and said my Mommy wears combat boots. Can she (!!!) do that?? That hurt my feelings!!!! Please put me in a more better part..." is the mantra of many in our ever so sensitive military.

Fighting the "drug war" again, are we? What a crock! And since when is the Armed Forces used for this civilian bull butter? What? "Winning the hearts and minds" via bridge and school building and well digging? Perhaps I can buy into that shift as to how a military might be used, but that ain't old school. Why wasn't the military used to rescue Katrina victims? 'Splain that one to me, please. (shakes head). Where's the military in Pakistan....OUR ALLY...after this most recent calamity? Where was the military when the tsunami hit 6(?) years back? Don't feed me that BS of "helping people" is the reason them boats is off the coast of CR....

User69 laid it out pretty straight, really, didn't he? Ruffled the tail feathers of a current "officer" too! Must have been something right in what was written. I've posted it before so here is the link to what has been stated:

Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler, former Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps opines below: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=31753&start=0 (scroll down that web page a bit to find the entire quote from Smedley, who hits the proverbial nail on the head far better than I ever could....)....

"War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses." etc.

So ya spend a lot of time in Soviet built tanks and hand out BCD's to dopers, eh, TB? Ya got a McDonald's to eat from too? Ipods, phone calls home, blah, blah, blah. I don't hold any ill will towards people in uniform at this point in my life, but don't try to pull the wool over my eyes about what "the mission" is. It's never what it's made out to be and it damn sure ain't about "keeping the world safe for democracy."

You note:

Stop the demand and the supply dries up kinda sorta magically!!! We need more officers like Sassaman; if we're going somewhere, screw "rules of engagement", kick some serious butt, get in and then GET THE FUUCK OUT so these spoiled little prince and princess "warriors" can get back to downloading bootleg videos and eating french fries from Burger King....

When you are around/fighting monsters long enough, you become one...

An "invitation" from a prattle of twunts playing government! What a hoot!!!

Of course this is just my opinion.......

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"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

Wow, just wow . Too amused to offer a rebuttal. Dude, believe what you will, we all do.

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“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits

correct you are, TB....and I shall....however.....let's put out there, a bit more to make it easier for the "brotherhood" to read what Smedley...a real warrior....had to say:

"War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.

"I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.

"I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.

"There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.

"It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

"I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.

"I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In
China in 1927 I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

"During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three city districts. I operated on three continents."

(kinda hard to argue with one of your own, huh?!) You Sure??!

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"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

OKay, how about famous words spoken by the true hero; The Lifer; "I got my 20, Do you have your's?"

Seriously dude, what officer does not know its a racket?

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“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits

The "Rant of the Year" award is hereby retired--doubt even Steven1 can top his effort though we expect he'll try.
That said, the National Guard was used extensively in the Gulf area post-Katrina and the U. S. Military is barred from U. S. Operations in part because of the Posse Comitatus Act (this principally covers domestic law enforcement by DoD components but is often cited to bar any military involvement in domestic affairs). See this for more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act
The US Military has been used extensively around the world in humanitarian and relief efforts including the ones you cited. Of course they have to be invited in by the host government which invitation doesn't always come.
BTW, the Army's Special Forces have a 2-pronged mission: as a fighting force but also as builders/healers/trainers at the village level.
Congrats on your Big Chicken Dinner...I guess. You seem proud of it and have never talked about appealing it.

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

TB, your Orwellian tag line speaks to what I've done following my ceremonious exit from the USAF in 1972. 2 years later, who's knocking on my fuckking door asking me to "...let by gones be by gones...."???? This isn't about me, however.

It's about all this jingoistic bull roar we got going on in the good ole U S of A to take peoples minds off of what is really going on. "Thank you for your service" my ass!! Sick of hearing that on planes as we depart or land; sick of "Give the person in uniform a round of applause"; etc., etc., etc. This all being said by cola swilling school marms and their ilk who have not clue one the hell YOU'RE being subjected to, irrespective of the fact it is far more "comfortable" now than it was in Viet Nam. Our poor enlisted people are tools for Mr. Charlie and a good number of them "enlisted" because there simply aren't any jobs with a future out there...and very few on the horizon.

TB: Heed the symptom/warning!: Hang around monsters long enough....you become one. I know...and da....dats.....dats....dats....all folks@!

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"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

Sayeth he with 5502 posts in 2years! Funny Shit!

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"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

Dude, it is certainly better that what happened during Viet Nam; I ask you, would you rather be upgraded to 1st Class and have a hot babe squeeze your arm and say "Thank you for your sevice" or get spit at because you are a baby killer regardless of whether or not the person doing it has a clue as to what you actually do? I will rather sip my beer and smile at the hottie and say "thanks" any day. There is no reason to get pissed off because the people don't really have an idea and regardless of whether its a racket or not, it is still honorable to serve as it probably was to be a Roman Soldier.Am I always going to agree with the use of U.S. power? Doubtful, but who can take it out onn the soldier, who may just want to pay for college, but has been thrust into a war; does that make his service any less honorable?

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“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits

I do get a bit exercised by certain topics, that's true, but please point out what most folks would call a rant. Also as I continually point out my first 1700 or so were some little bits of commentary appended to extant Threads that I resurrected--net total of fresh material is thus only 3800 or so.
I fully agree with Brother TimBones last post. Well said.
Back to you, Chet.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Well, we must be flying different outfits 'cuz I don't see too many "hot babes" working on airplanes these days....

This forum isn't the place to go into depth about what's what from Steven1land. I attempted to "deal out" of the conversation, however ineptly *shrug*. I believe we have more in common than we have in difference based on a couple of other "things".

Still, isn't enuff space to go into the hard dynamics as I believe you're miss-taking what I am crudely typing. These good, patriotic slubs who do the thanking are the same ilk that allow for the mess to be created and handled ever so poorly because they are not involved and because they vacuously believe that by saying "Thank you" or putting a flag on their car or on their house or a yellow ribbon around their tree or a yellow ribbon sticker on their car that they're "involved"! Nonsense! Read more of what Orwell wrote in 1984.

I understand you did not bring Poltical Correctness to the USA military (read American Fascism) and I have no clue how one can "fight" when an "embedded" journalist (maybe even an 8th month pregnant one...) is right there with you waiting for you to falter for one second so THAT can be the story. What's a "rule" of engagement anyway? Too, have to watch your language in a hot zone? WTF?! Didn't have to deal with that in 1971/72! It moved? Well....

Concluding, build the mosque next to wherever! It's covered under the Bill of Rights.

_________________
"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16