the fact that they are being used poorly, in their mission to keep us safe, does not detract from the effort they're putting in--nor from the stress they accrue from expending such an effort, nor from the role that stress takes in their actions.

What chance do you think the video was a hoax?

Hell two cops did that to me and all i was doing was having a drink at last call. Too bad the press doesn't film here because noone cares about us rural folk who cling to our guns and religion.

well, if you weren't all so bitter...

Yup even more so after they denied me communication from jail while they destroyed the tape of them beating me while i was handcuffed in a jail cell.
And i won't rest untill they are investigated

Yup, those three criminals that shot people sure were asshole fuckfaces. Good things the cops were johnny on the spot to hand them down a beating.

YAWN!!!

Troll.

I would never tell you that you were not allowed to express your opinion. The first amendment to the Constitution gives you the right to express your opinion. In fact those young people in Iraq, whether or not you believe it and/or agree with it, are there fighting to preserve your right to freedon of speech.

If you will go back and reread my post, I said that if you had not served in combat you were NOT QUALIFIED to discuss it because you do not possess the proper life experience to understand the situation. I stand behind that. If you have never marched a mile in their boots then you have no way of knowing what their life is like or why they act the way they do. You can look at things through the eyes of your sanity; however, you have no way of looking at them through the insanity of their situation.

I am not trying to be mean or put you down here. I have read many of your postings and for the most part I agree with them, but in this situation I do know what I am talking about.

Why am I a troll? Because I do not happen to agree with FTR. I have made some very well thought out and heart felt posts on this subject and when I yawn because I am tired of trying to speak intelligently to people that for the most part cannot and/or will not understand then you have to gall to call me a troll.

So, as far as you're concerned, they get a free pass. Whether or not they are fighting for your freedom. Because "If you have never marched a mile in their boots then you have no way of knowing what their life is like or why they act the way they do."

Which is nonsense. You have no problem describing someone as

No they don't. I never said they get a free pass. Just that most people discussing the issue cannot understand why they do what they do unless you have been there.

Those soldiers are not monsters. They are our brothers, cousins, nephews, sons and fathers. They need to be looked at in that light and helped when they get home. Not reviled.

That does not make me a troll.

that isn't what he said. what he said was that not everyone is qualified to judge the soldiers' behavior. i'm not sure i agree that only those who've served in combat can possibly have the necessary qualifications, but it's certainly true that combat--especially extended periods in which combat is frequent and/or threatened--imposes changes on the human mind that require specialized knowledge to understand (to the extent that these changes can be understood by modern psychology).

everyone is entitled to their opinion. my opinion is that some opinions are flat-out incorrect--they are in conflict with factual information. i place greater value on opinions held by people with a strong grasp of the factual information related to their opinion; people with lesser grasps on the facts are certainly welcome to hold their own views--just as i am perfectly free to discount their views.

specifically, my opinion is that FTR's most recent post, concerning whether or not the troops in Iraq are keeping him safe, is frivolous and beside the point. i feel his post is a cheap attempt to shift attention away from his treatment of the soldiers in the video. that isn't to imply that i have any less respect for FTR--i enjoy reading his posts, even when he's wrong. he presents enough in the way of hard evidence that the occasional dirty pool he plays can be accepted as part of the presentation.

That wasn't why I called you a troll. Go back, look at it again.

I know. You called me a troll because I yawned at FTR's statement. It is always the same thing and is tiring. I had a long post ready in reply to his statement and decided it was just not worth it. So I yawned.