There is a HUGE difference between "demonizing" terrorists and disliking what they stand for.
I would also note that I never specifically said Longtabber WAS demonizing terrorists (although it may look that way from what I posted), but that's beside the point. What I DID say is that he has justifiable contempt for their cowardly tactics and has no qualms about teaching them the error of their ways. There is nothing in military training that allows for any soldier to generalize their enemy, but I would point out that Longtabber is actually there; we are not. He SEES the results of their actions on a daily basis; we do not. He has an incredibly unique perspective that is not shared by many of the people in this thread, including myself, simply because he is actually present in theater and actually experiences what the terrorists are perpetrating against the innocent civilians present there. We cannot know what he goes through on a daily basis, so to even make the assumption that he is "demonizing" anyone is, quite frankly, a ludicrous assumption, because it has no basis in fact. From what I can tell, he is merely a soldier doing what a soldier does and being an exemplary NCO to show his soldiers what the hard right is over the easy wrong. Once again; I'm not stationed with him, so I can't say that is fact, but from what I have read of his posts, that is the impression I get. And like it or not, the whole "appeal to authority" argument has merit here, simply because there is a major difference between the way a civilian views the world and the way a soldier views the world; it cannot be denied and should not be denied.
As to his views on liberals; I get the impression there he simply has little tolerance for people who whine that war isn't necessary, not necessarily liberals. I would classify myself as a liberal, but even I recognize that war is sometimes necessary in order to protect others' freedoms, so I have little tolerance for them myself. But he has not demonized them. And they are not his enemy. And the military in general does not tell its soldiers how to feel about politics, so Longtabber's views are his and his alone, and he has a right to them. I may disagree with him in some respects, but I do not begrudge him his right to his feelings on the subject, nor does the military.
We are trained not to generalize our enemy; that is correct. Longtabber has not once, in all the posts I've seen, violated that training principle. Nor has Quad; nor even have I or any other military member here. The military is far from a perfect entity; I would be foolish to even suggest such. We have our d-bags and useless personnel, and even personnel who violate laws much the same as any other corporation or company; and when we find them, we do our best to get rid of them just the same as those corporations and companies out there. But our military provides some of the best training in the world to personnel willing to work hard and take advantage of it, and it has paid off in spades for me, and will for Quad and Longtabber should they ever decide to get off of active duty and get civilian jobs. Longtabber has trained in the military for decades; he know their training principles better than anyone in this thread. You, b2b, JJ, do not. So I'm sorry, but your arguments have failed miserably. I have never once regretted my military service, despite being confronted with several of those d-bags I mentioned above, because I know how to use what I was taught, and I do so on a daily basis. I would imagine Longtabber and Quad feel the same as I do.
Are you for real ?! Iraq was virtually disarmed before the brave invaders arrived.
