Big Dog's staggeringly eloquent letter to the ROTC.1968

[i have issues]

As someone that was essentially denied a college education because of Bonzo's buddys' reinstatement of draft registration (in order to qualify for finacial aid) back in '82, and as a registered conscientious objector; This blew me away. Apologies if this had been posted before.
Here's a nugget from the end of the letter...

And that is where I am now, writing to you because you have been good to me and have a right to know what I think and feel. I am wrting too in the hope that my telling this one story willhelp you to understand more clearly how so many fine people have come to find themselves still loving their country but loathing the military, to which you and other good men have devoted years, lifetimes, of the best service you could give. To many of us, it is no longer clear what is service and what is disservice, or if it is clear, the conclusion is likely to be illegal.
http://www.americanpresidents.org/letters/41.asp

[Gephard]

1. Loathing the miltiary?

Questionable

[i have issues]

2. Actually I had a slight problem with that as well..

but taken in context , ie; the whole letter, his age,23 and some probable fear/rage.... he might have left out the word 'Complex"... On my part,no offence meant to any brave service members, past or present.

[Gephard]

4. I'm not sure he ever changed his mind on the military

[WilliamPitt]

7. Come again?

Bullshit. Explain that one, friend, or I'm going alert-happy on you. RNC talking points not appreciated.

[Gephard]

8. And you are....?

[WilliamPitt]

9. Asking you a question

[Bandit]

12. So you disagree that at that time and place many people loathed

the military. President Clinton never said He Loathed the military as so many dishonest right-wingers have claimed. This is what he said ..."so many fine people have come to find themselves still loving their country but loathing the military," Never once did he say "I loath the military" but to some people it doesn't matter what the truth is only a good destructive sound-bite. Where do you fit in?

[RichM]

3. "Big Dog" has forgotten all those lofty ideals about opposing unjust wars.

It's nice that he had principles when he was in college, though.

[i have issues]

6. Agreed again.

I'm well aware of Clinton's Presidential policies, The DLC/centrist/ big money politics in effect now are seeking to wreck a true left,. It was just the letter itself I was reffering to. As an 18 yr old I had some tough decisons to make myself, and Ithought he summed it up nicely...

[madrchsod]

5. and where was bushie boy?

dam i wish i could have written something just close to this during the war. hell they just thought i was crazy and gave me a 4f. the ending is truly amazing in that there were alot of us who felt the same way. if you walked thru the induction center pysical you`d have seen the racism he was talking about..dam he summed up the feelings for millions of my generation

[loudnclear]

10. I don't have problem with "loathing the military" especially the complex.

This was an eloquent and poignant letter. I especially was drawn to this statement:

"From my work I came to believe that the draft system itself is illegitimate. No government really rooted in limited, parliamentary democracy should have the power to make its citizens fight and kill and die in a war they may oppose, a war which even possibly may be wrong, a war which, in any case, does not involve immediately the peace and freedom of the nation."

Wish we had some people now, equally as opposed to the war in Iraq.
Notice that this is an "informed" as well as "emotional" opinion.

[JI7]

11. he always had it didn't he ?

eloquent is the right word. i love the guy. the letter shows a lot. especially conflicted feelings , emotion etc. while i admire people like john kerry who volunteered themselves, i also admire people like bill clinton who protested the war. just look at clinton's words, feelings back then, as a young man while a horrible war was going on. and then think of gwbush who people said didn't really have any thoughts on the war. it had no affect on him. he knew he wasn't going to go there, and didn't care if others went as long as it wasn't him.

[ElementaryPenguin]

13. Bingo, J17!

I couldn't agree more with your assessment. Excellent point about the jaded monkey boy's perspective on the war he knew he was never goihg to have to serve in.