Tired of All of the Anti Mumbo Jumbo

Ignorance. It's the only word that comes to mind when I hear people speak of current events in the Middle East. Not all people, but those that buy into the media's bull shit. If you want a liberal view of the world, then watch the news or read the paper. If you want to listen to all of the negatives about the war on terror, or our presence in Iraq or Afghanistan, then watch the news or read the paper. The majority of the media is leberal. What irks me the most is how a liberal will never hesitate to quote a poll's statistics. The majority of the polls put out do NOT represent the views of the majority of the American population, but rather a select few. Polls are predetermined by the pollster, and can sway which ever way the pollster wants them to. This is something everyone should have learned in their high school government class.

Why is it the media only puts out the worst of the worst, when it comes to Iraq? Yes, bad things happen in war. People get killed. Not just soldiers and insurgents, but civilians, women and children as well. Such is war. But what about all of the positives that come out of Iraq? You don't hear any of that come from the media. You don't hear stories about us helping build their infrastructure. You don't see the stories on the news about the women's centers being opened that we help build, or the schools for children, or the hospitals. They don't put the Iraqi people on the news that talk about how glad they are to have us there. The only thing the American people are hearing, is what the media puts out, and that's all of the garbage. A roadside bomb goes off, killing 2 soldiers and wounding 2 civilians, and it's all over the news talking about how we're losing the war in Iraq. What ever happened to the media of old, like back in WWII, with stories of victories and our Soldiers kicking ass? Now all you hear about is poor Iraqi insurgents being treated poorly in our confinement facilities. I'd rather be forced to play naked Twister than be video taped having my head chopped off and played over Al-Jazeera. But, poor Iraqi insurgents. Photographed in the nude... what torture.

OK... I'm confused... I've watched a few interviews and heard others talk about the current situation with Israel and Hezbollah, in Lebanon. How in the hell is the war in Iraq, or the US presence in the Middle East, have ANYTHING to do with the situation between Israel and Hezbollah??? It doesn't have a DAMN thing to do with it! Israel has been at war with Arabs for CENTURIES! Hezbollah has been in Lebanon, and has been a problem for Israel for years. Tensions between the two is nothing new at all. Iran, backing Hezbollah, has already stated it wants to "wipe Israel off of the map." The Israel/Hezbollah war started when Hezbollah guerillas crossed the Israeli border, killed 3 Israeli soldiers, and kidnapped 2 others. That is an act of war. Israel responded. The reasons given by Hezbollah for the snatch was, they had hopes to snatch Israeli soldiers, and swap them for Lebanese prisoners (most likely Hezbollah) that Israel was holding. Where in there does it say anything about the US presence in the Middle East?? Why is it when something happens in the Middle East, right away our own media blames the US for it?

It's going to be an interesting day, if and when a Liberal is elected President. Interesting and scary. A question the liberals need to ask themselves is... What happens when we pull all US troops out of the Middle East? Then What?

Military Bearing

Being on the enlisted side of the military, I generally have a common lack of respect towards most officers. Don't get me wrong... I respect the rank, because I'm forced to, but a person has to earn respect. Respecting rank, and having respect for a person are 2 totally different things. I've been in the military over 2 years now, and of that time I have come to notice that the officers have, by far, the worst military bearing. I recently attended my battalion's dining in last weekend. It was an event for Soldiers, NCOs, and Officers. Of everyone there, it was the officers acting a fool. Don't get me wrong, their were drinks involved and it was intended to be a good time for everyone, but even at events such as that, there is a certain level of military bearing that you should obtain. It's all out the window with them.

Aside from the formal occasions, it's situations such as formations. It's standard to show up to formation early. Usually about 10 minutes. These guys stroll up right when the order to fall in is given, or just seconds before. Why?.. because there's nobody that's going to tell them otherwise.

What I'm trying to say is, they generally have this attitude that, "Hey, I'm a higher rank than you, so I can do what I want." Butter Bars (term used for 2LTs) are the worst. These jokers come straight out of Westpoint, or ROTC, and think that just because they're an officer, they deserve respect. A 2LT is like an E-1 Private coming out of basic training. They don't know shit! And some of these guys are coming straight out of these academies with NO experience, and thrown into a combat situation.. expected to lead soldiers. What soldier is going to want to follow them?? Not me!

Now, there are some Officers I can respect. Most of them are the ones that were prior enlisted. Or the ones that have been in command, or been in a combat situation. Those are the officers that can command respect, and get it. But they are far and few between.