the military girl from yesterday is back on Randi's show

[LSK]

:popcorn:

[gatorboy]

1. What happened yesterday with her?

Can ya elaborate, purty please? :)

[JuniperLea]

2. She's a captain

She said she's fighting the war because of 9/11. Even after Randi played the clip of Bush saying we have no evidence connecting Iraq with 9/11, this captain kept insisting there was not enough information to prove that Iraq was not involved with 9/11.

I'll be interested in hearing part two of this saga!

Please feed the cube rats!

[LSK]

5. yes what you said

Sorry cube rats.

[Critters2]

9. Oh, right

Tell me again how I should support the troops. She is "the troops".

:eyes:

[JuniperLea]

23. I think we need to support them...

in spite of them... they are on Kool-Aid OD mode. They didn't ask for this.

[Critters2]

26. A) They volunteered

These are not draftees.

B)I fear that constantly telling them "we support you no matter what" has contributed to the atrocities. You can't tell people they're okay with you no matter what. There must be limits to appropriate behavior. I don't support the troops in any kind of blanket way. That is dangerous.

As this "captain" proves. As Haditha proves.

[JuniperLea]

29. True, they were not drafted

But who volunteers to be lied to? They had the noblest of intentions. They thought they were joining the service to protect their country. They are the brainwashees, remember. No one asks for that. The only thing Haditha proves is that these soldiers are at the breaking point, stretched too thin and abused by their commander in chief. Those guys are bat-shit-nuts now and will probably never be right.

[Critters2]

32. Again, I can't count how many times military members,

their family or friends have told me, with pride, that their job is to "kill people and break things". They're good at it, too.

But I don't think it took much brainwashing.

[Breeze54]

38. Not 'all' volunteered

There IS a 'BACK DOOR DRAFT'!

"backdoor draft n. extension of military enlistments through stop-loss orders,
which force personnel to involuntarily extend their tours of duty."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0131/dailyUpdate.html

Stop-loss used to retain 50,000 US troops
By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com

"Stop-loss," a policy used by the Army to keep US soldiers and reservists in the military beyond
the date when their service was supposed to end,
has been used on more than 50,000 members of the armed forces since the war in Iraq began.
Currently stop-loss is being used to extend the duty of 12,500 troops.
Reuters reports that the measure applies to units about to deploy to Afghanistan or Iraq.

Under the policy, soldiers who normally would leave when their commitments expire must remain
in the Army, starting 90 days before their unit is scheduled to depart,
through the end of their deployment and up to another 90 days after returning to their home base.
With yearlong tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, some soldiers can be forced to stay in the Army an extra 18 months.

The military argues that it is a necessary step to preserve the cohesive nature of a unit, especially one ready to fight,
and courts have backed the military so far in any challenge against the policy.
But critics say it is just another illustration of how stretched out the US Army and reserves
have become, and that could undercut increased effort to attract new recruits.

"As the war in Iraq drags on, the Army is accumulating a collection of problems
that cumulatively could call into question the viability of an all-volunteer force,"
said defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute think tank.
"When a service has to repeatedly resort to compelling the retention of people who want
to leave, you're edging away from the whole notion of volunteerism."

A recent Pentagon report written for the Department of Defense by Andrew Krepinevich,
a former military officer, said stop-loss was a "short-term fix" enabling the Army to meet deployment requirements,
but that such policies "risk breaking the force as recruitment and retention problems mount."

[htuttle]

17. I find it fascinating how they turn logic on it's head...

...to avoid admitting that they were lied to by Bush and their commanders.

There's not enough information to prove that the Queen of England isn't a hostile space alien simply masquerading as the Queen, either. That's hardly enough to justify an invasion and occupation of Britain, though.

The whole 'proving a negative' business is kind of difficult.

[LSK]

18. proving a negative is how Bush convinced most to invade Iraq

Saddam was supposed to "prove" he had no WMD. :wtf:

I remember fighting this back in 2003 with so many brainwashed people.

[JuniperLea]

25. The problem is

There were no WMD and Hans Blix confirmed that Hussein's assertions he did not have WMD were true. After that, all the RWNuts insisted that Hussein threw the inspectors out! Yeah, in 1985 or thereabouts, yes, yes he did. BUSH threw Blix and the inspectors out of Iraq this time.

[JuniperLea]

21. Well, in this case

She has her commander-in-chief saying very clearly that there is no connection, yet she still insists there is.

I don't think this is a case of proving a negative under those circumstances. There's nothing to left to prove... Bush proved it himself.

[librechik]

3. she still believed she went to Iraq cuz of 9/11

and her commanders, good Christian men, wouldn't lie to her about that.

poor thing.

in the dark indeed.

[Tempest]

6. If she still believes this, then she is willfully ignorant

And there's nothing worse in the world than choosing to believe something you know to be false.

[PA Democrat]

She is now saying that it still a "possibility" that

Saddam helped in the 9-11 plot. Randi is actually doing a great job dealing with her.

[donco6]

11. Randi's pretty good with servicepeople.

She's got some credibility, at least.

[LSK]

12. yes, she was once in the military

[Tempest]

14. And she comes from a military family

Her father and brothers also served.

[donco6]

10. That's Randi's point with her.

She keeps pounding on her that she can't afford to keep herself in the dark, she needs to read, get information, stop believing what everyone is telling her - find out for herself. She is ignoring the facts that already exist.

[Tempest]

15. That's the way military commanders like their underlings

Dumb and ignorant of the facts.

Can't get them to fight against someone who hasn't done anything to you otherwise.

[PA Democrat]

4. She said that her Christian commanders would not lie to her

She also said she was fighting because we were attacked. Randi has been talking about how so many of the troops still believe that Saddam was part of 9-11.

[Critters2]

7. Well, then they aren't Christians

cuz they're lying. Get it?

Morans.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. Good conversation. Kind of courageous of her to call back.

She is calling to become informed, Not to argue.

[donco6]

13. It was a good call yesterday, too.

She's not argumentative - maybe just a little stubborn, which is OK in my book. But to remain willfully ignorant - there's no excuse for that.

[wryter2000]

33. It was a good conversation

I was proud of both of them. The captain backed off on the link between 9/11 and Saddam at the end.

[JuniperLea]

27. Happy to hear that!

A little light must have pierced the darkness.

I wish Randi would ask her about that Bush clip... why would he say that? Does she believe her commander in chief tells her the truth? And why would her commander in chief tell her one thing and her fine Christian commanders tell her something else?

[LibertyorDeath]

16. Maybe Randi can introduce her to the concept of Brainwashing

She can just hand her a mirror.

Good morning Judge your honor as I will show
the Lack of Proof as it pertains to the FACTS in this Case
means nothing were going to show if you go by your
Gut and Blind Faith you too can sound like a complete fucking imbecile.

[eleny]

19. This is why although I support the military - I fear it more

Military who believe the prez because he's "a good x-tian man" would shoot me dead if he told them to do it.

[PA Democrat]

20. One piece of encouragement is the fact that this woman is LISTENING

to Randi's show in the first place. Yesterday and now today, she has been exposed to something other than the official line of propaganda. Maybe her eyes are starting to open. We can only hope that she will take Randi's advice and do some of her own research.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. "Girl"?

She may be misinformed, but she's a military officer and a helicopter pilot. Not a "girl."

[LSK]

28. I was trying to give folks a quick heads up

Sorry I didnt get her name, rank and serial number.

:eyes:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

31. "Woman" would do.

If you're over 18 you're not a girl. Sorry, but this old feminist gets a little prickly when she hears any professional woman being referred to as a girl.

[LSK]

35. ok, be sure to tell SeattleGirl, NYCGirl and the other "girls" on DU

However, I will concede I could have worded it better.

[BlooInBloo]

30. I myself completely arbitrarily use myself as the measuring stick...

... and consistently refer to females younger than me as girls, and males younger than me as boys. Men and women are people older than me.

While that convention can certainly be criticized, it's not possible to criticize it on the grounds of sexism, methinks.

Possibly there are other folks who operate on something of a similar principle.

[JuniperLea]

34. I do

We are all boys and girls, except people who are older, like you said. At work we are ladies and gentlemen regardless of age due to a very strict, old school corporate upbringing. I cringe when someone calls me "ma'am"!

Not sexist at all. Nope. Not one little bit.

[alfredo]

37. In Eritrea a girl only becomes a woman when

she loses her virginity. You can be a 12 year old woman or a 30 girl. You can tell the difference from a distance. Look at their hair. Girls have their hair parted in the middle, the braids up and down. Women's had no part, and their braids face the back.

[BlooInBloo]

39. That's another way to go.... but what about boys?

Is there some visible mark of their deflowering? ROFL - what a funny word.


EDIT: When I say "that's another way to go", it should not be taken as *endorsement* of that route. I don't endorse it - I think it's sickeningly sexist, and most likely somewhat similar to "scarlet letter"-style practice.

[alfredo]

41. It's a very sexist society. The revolution changed it somewhat.

female circumcision was frowned upon, whereas when the church held sway, it was the norm.

On the wedding night the bride carries a white towel to bed with her. After consummation, the bloody towel is given to the mother and she displays it to the village. If she doesn't bleed, she is banished. I bet many times she cuts herself to induce bleeding. I knew a woman who got married a 13, got pregnant on her wedding night and her husband never touched her again. He left and she had to raise their son on her own. She was a clerk at a laundry. Her family was powerful in the region so she was lucky compared to the others. Many of the others in the same situation had to resort to prostitution to survive. Divorce was illegal, remarriage impossible. Marriages were all arraigned, no marriage for love.

The circumcision is pretty brutal. The girls are taken to the church. They have to sit on a bench with other girls. The priest comes along with his knife, the girl pulls up her skirt and he cuts her. His helper douses her with antiseptic and the move on. If the girl cries out, that means she has been touched, and she will be banished as unclean.

Ethiopian and Eritrean mean can have mistresses, can leave home for extended times. The wife has to stay home and suffer as he goes his merry way.

Women are not allowed to pray in the same church as men. They can't even enter the grounds of the church.

The revolution has made some changes in women's rights, but I don't know what changes were made and how well they have stood.

[BlooInBloo]

42. Your name makes me hungry.

:rofl:

[alfredo]

43. It was my Fettuccine Alfredo that got me that name.

I made it with Artichoke hearts, pimento, and a lot of cheese and heavy cream. That was back in the days when I was cycling 300 miles a week and could burn off the fat quickly.

[BlooInBloo]

44. mmmm.... with blackened chicken breast....

yumyumyum

[alfredo]

45. Anything with blackened chicken breasts is yummy.

Well, maybe not a banana milk shake.

[BlooInBloo]

46. LOL - troo that!

[BlooInBloo]

24. Doh - I was in CatWoman's thread - didn't realize there were two...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1337644&mesg_id=1338283

:rofl:

[dsc]

36. can you please call her a woman next time

I have grave doubts that had this been a male captain your op headline would have read "the military boy from yesterday is back on Randi's show"

[BlooInBloo]

40. "Grave doubts?" "Are there any other kind?" ROFLMAO!

:rofl:

sorry - I'm still hungover...