Text 20985, 132 rader
Skriven 2008-09-17 14:16:14 av Lee Lofaso (3:800/432.0)
  Kommentar till text 20876 av Shannon Talley (1:124/311)
Ärende: Re: Duty Honor Count
============================
Hello Shannon,

>LL>Now tell us why you violated your oath of enlistment by
>LL>serving as a lackey for the Bush administration.

ST>So you belittle my 21 years of service because I honored my oath
ST>to my commander-in-chief?

A soldier disgraces himself/herself by violating his/her oath of
enlistment.  A soldier dishonors himself/herself, along with his/her
comrades by failing to live up to the standards set forth by our
armed forces, as spelled out in the oath of enlistment.

ST>The fact is, I didn't have to honor my oath, I could have simply
ST>said, "no", left the service and walked away.

That is what all soldiers who have shirked their duty should have
done.  But those soldiers were not honorable, choosing to put their
own selfish interests above that of their country.  Neither is the
president, who chose to surround himself with those who likewise
pay no heed to the concepts of duty, honor, country.

ST>But honoring one's word really does mean something to some people.

The Honor Code: A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate
those who do. (West Point)

Soldiers who fail to abide by the honor code have lost their honor.
Presidents who fail to abide by the honor code have lost their honor.

The concepts of duty, honor, country mean nothing to those who
have no shame.  Which might explain why John McCain finished fifth
to last in his class.  Or why he ditched his first wife, after
she got in a terrible automobile accident, having had to undergo
28 operations just to survive.  Or why he cozies up to Vietnamese
Communists who held him hostage for five and a half years.

ST>I did what was required of me to serve my "country" NOT for my
ST>commander-in-chief.

"I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and
defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies,
foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance
to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of
the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over
me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military
Justice. So help me God."

Nowhere in the oath of enlistment taken by our military men and
women in uniform does it say a soldier is to serve any particular
politician or political party.

Soldiers who fail to abide by their oath of enlistment have lost
their honor.  Presidents who fail to abide by their oath of office
have lost their honor.

ST>We all have our reasons,

Soldiers have no business playing partisan politics.  A soldier's
sworn duty is to "defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic", as well as to "bear
true faith and allegiance to the same" - not to cozy up to any
politician or political party.

Soldiers who choose to lie to the American people have lost their
honor.  Presidents who have lied, or chosen to lie, to the American
people have lost their honor.  Soldiers who support a liar-in-chief
are just as much a scumbag as the liar-in-chief himself, having
tarnished their own reputations in the same way.

ST>and I didn't ask for your support, guidance or permission to help
ST>provide you the freedom and comforts you have today;

No soldier should lie for a liar-in-chief.  Those who do so have
lost their honor, the same as the liar-in-chief.  Defending the freedom
and comforts the American people have today means standing up to those
who seek to destroy our way of life.  And that includes standing up to
a liar-in-chief who has already taken away so much.

ST>I just did it because it was the right thing to do.

A soldier who has violated his/her oath of enlistment has shown
his/her own true disdain for the U.S. Constitution and the poeple
he/she was sworn to defend.  Just as the pResident in a monkey suit
has shown his own true disdain for the U.S. Constitution by calling
it "just a goddamn piece of paper."

ST>I concluded my service and decided that it was time to serve
ST>my country in a different way.

In any other (free) country such a soldier would have been
courtmartialed, lined up in front of a firing squad, and shot.
But this is Amerikkka, land of the not-so-free, the home of cowards,
with The Decider being a dishonorable soldier's god.  That is who
those soldiers have placed their trust in, rather than doing their
sworn duty as stated in their oath of enlistment.

ST>Calling me an asshole in the first part of your last message really
ST>set the tone for the rest of our conversation.

The truth of the matter is we are all assholes.  Each and every
blasted one of us.  Without exception.  The only real question that
remains is what kind of asshole we choose to be.

ST>Seriously Lee, I'm going to LA next month for a coursing trip.

Enjoy the crawfish.

ST>If you'd like to clear this up once and for all, let's make
ST>arrangements to meet.

This clown is an equal opportunity asshole.  As such, I do not
clean up anybody's mess.  Not even my own.

It is very difficult, if not impossible, for a soldier who has sullied
his/her own reputation to regain the trust of his/her fellow countrymen.

IOW, clean up your own mess.

ST>You know my Email address, I look forward to hearing from you.

What is said in private can be said in public -

Welcome to the funhouse.  :)

--Lee


 * SLMR 2.1a * My reality check just bounced.

--- Maximus 3.01
 * Origin: Xaragmata / Adelaide SA telnet://xaragmata.thebbs.org (3:800/432)