A love letter to "Terrorists"

[stealthmongoose]

If you are willing to honor and respect the veterans of our country who attack foreign nations and depose local governments, infrastructures, and civilian residences in the name of our country for the "Defense" of our country; Then it should be equally fair to exonerate, honor, and respect those soldiers and military of foreign nations who choose to attack us in the name of their country's ideals.

I would therefore, like to take this time, on Veteran's day (not specifically "American" veteran's day) to honor and respect the live sacrificed in the defense of the middle east. Honorable civilians, soldiers, and unaffiliated military groups who defend their ideals in much the same way we do.

I also extend a hand to both sides, and a suggestion that we stop creating reasons to honor the dead. That we stop perpetuating this idolization of death and conflict, whilst honoring life and peace by pulling our soldiers back from their respective battlefields and giving them time to enjoy the country they fight for in the name of protection, misplaced or otherwise.

This veteran's day, or perhaps one in the future, I hope we can give our veterans the ultimate honor in combat. To let them come home. This war is in the name of a few, not the many who voiced against it. Our men and women of service deserve better than to be used for the agenda of those who assume to represent the values of an entire country.

Discuss:

The arbitrary (or, if you disagree, justified) honoring of veterans from one's own nation

The perspective of other nations and how you should act if you are a member of their regime

The change in that perspective when observing the decorum and ceremony of one's own nation

[Wendigo]

Fun fact, Veteran's Day used to be called Armistice Day, and was specifically focused on the end of World War I.

[azulmagia]

I thought this thread would contain something along the lines of, "Oh, Carlos the Jackal! You are so dreamy!"

[N3bu]

Wendigo

Fun fact, Veteran's Day used to be called Armistice Day, and was specifically focused on the end of World War I.

It still is in the commonwealth.

[stealthmongoose]

azulmagia

I thought this thread would contain something along the lines of, "Oh, Carlos the Jackal! You are so dreamy!"

Well, he's sexier than Charleton Heston, so there's that.

[Le Pere Duchesne]

In Australia it is known as Remembrance Day and is set aside for remembering those who have sacrificed and blah blah blah. But really, ******** that. I'm not interested in army worship, either of the state that rules me, or like some moron tankie, or whoever is opposed to that state. I'm interested in remembering the victims of their war crimes.

[stealthmongoose]

Le Pere Duchesne

In Australia it is known as Remembrance Day and is set aside for remembering those who have sacrificed and blah blah blah. But really, ******** that. I'm not interested in army worship, either of the state that rules me, or like some moron tankie, or whoever is opposed to that state. I'm interested in remembering the victims of their war crimes.

Perhaps an even better proposition than the angle this thread was aimed in.

Would you be in agreement on the point that soldiers and army personnel should be pulled from combat so as to assess the value of conflict on either side of most wars?

Would this be a benefit or a detriment to the victims you mentioned earlier?

[UF6]

Le Pere Duchesne

In Australia it is known as Remembrance Day and is set aside for remembering those who have sacrificed and blah blah blah. But really, ******** that. I'm not interested in army worship, either of the state that rules me, or like some moron tankie, or whoever is opposed to that state. I'm interested in remembering the victims of their war crimes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War

Never forget the fallen.

[Plata Plomo y Sangre]

Most terrorists, particularly the individuals who attacked us were not operating on behalf of their country at all. They were operating on behalf of radical and fundamentalist views of their religion. Salafists and other fundies tend not to care about their individual countries at all. While I can definitely understand some of the criticism of the actions of our soldiers and the objectives they are given in particular (although to note, the original veteran's day was to commemorate the end of WWI and in modern times WWII veterans are often the center of attention, a conflict I think you'd be hard pressed to argue was unjustified), I think conflating their actions with terrorists is pretty facile and unfounded. In individual cases? Probably. As a whole? No.

[Omnileech]

Would you also be honoring the people responsible for intentionally killing massive amount of non-combatants in order to make a political statement?

[X of Castigation]

N3bu

Wendigo

Fun fact, Veteran's Day used to be called Armistice Day, and was specifically focused on the end of World War I.

It still is in the commonwealth.

Remembrance Day here in Canadia.

Speaking of World wars and terrorism, the act of terrorism which launched Europe into the first world war essentially was what launched the entire world into what we have now. That single murder of two people, important people albeit, is what allowed both world wars to occur.

[N3bu]

Senator Armstrong

N3bu

Wendigo

Fun fact, Veteran's Day used to be called Armistice Day, and was specifically focused on the end of World War I.

It still is in the commonwealth.

Remembrance Day here in Canadia.

We use it reasonably interchangeably in Australia, because it's mostly Armistice Day in NZ and Remembrance Day in AUS. So it gets called both a lot.

[stealthmongoose]

It seems to me as though Canada and the Commonwealth of AUS (please correct me if i'm wrong about this connection) both seem to have a much less military-service-record centric view of the Holiday.

Could any of the two speakers from Canada and Austriala respectively please expand upon the typical events that would occur on these differently-spun variations of the same holiday?

[X of Castigation]

stealthmongoose

It seems to me as though Canada and the Commonwealth of AUS (please correct me if i'm wrong about this connection) both seem to have a much less military-service-record centric view of the Holiday.

Could any of the two speakers from Canada and Austriala respectively please expand upon the typical events that would occur on these differently-spun variations of the same holiday?

That's not true at all.

[stealthmongoose]

Senator Armstrong

stealthmongoose

It seems to me as though Canada and the Commonwealth of AUS (please correct me if i'm wrong about this connection) both seem to have a much less military-service-record centric view of the Holiday.

Could any of the two speakers from Canada and Austriala respectively please expand upon the typical events that would occur on these differently-spun variations of the same holiday?

That's not true at all.

Could you perhaps clarify?