I was wondering where Anon had vanish to! Didn't sound like the sort of thing he'd do: start a thread then abandon it for no good reason, while it was in full swing.
The idea of someone being killed by "friendly fire" is quite bizarre! I mean, was the shooter waving & smiling as he shot his victim? I hate the twisting & turning of the truth of the situation, the weasel words that are used in an attempt to make the unpalatable palatable! I mean is it better that someone has died as a result of "friendly fire" than to have died in combat?
McG's metaphor is spot on, if you take off the partisan shades, folks. But go ahead and keep snickering because you've found a way to call someone else a coward. Real big of you.
How many of you have joined the Peace Corp? Should you be required to if you think they do good work, or are otherwise supportive of their efforts? How many of you have worked for UNICEF? Does no one here have opinions of where they may be needed? I doubt Doctors without Borders ever has a surplus of labor volunteers. How many of you have done so? How many of you think the United States could have done a hell of a lot more for the victims of the Asian Tsunami? How many of you volunteered? Now how many of you think you should have been drafted into service for opining on such matters?
Like McG, I've never volunteered to be a soldier. I came close a couple of times, but never went through with it. I've also never volunteered for the Peace Corp. I came close a couple of times, but never went through with it.
At this stage in life; I believe I can accomplish more through sharing a percentage of my earnings than through volunteering my back. I've donated generously to every one of the causes listed above and feel well within my rights to opine about any of them without answering to anyone.
I don't fight crime (other than a few occasions when it was taking place in front of me), but don't feel it's fair I should be judged a coward for not signing up to be a cop full.
I don't fight fires (other than the time in college I used too much grease in a pot while trying to make my own French fries), but don't feel it's fair I should be judged a coward for not signing up to be a fire-fighter.
I've never been a soldier, but don't feel its fair I should be judged a coward for not signing up to be a soldier.
I also believe in Aids walks, the Million Man March, Pro-Choice Advocacy, Women's Shelters, the March of Dimes, Collecting for UNICEF, the Christian Children's Fund, etc, etc, etc, but haven't participated in all and don't always choose to make time for the one's I do. So what? Can any of you say you take a more proactive roll in the causes you believe in than I? Not counting generous personal donations to a multitude of Charities, I've sponsored and ladeled out soup kitchens for the homeless during holiday seasons, used my business to raise well over $10,000 last year for various local, national and international causes, etc, etc, etc. I have every reason to expect to double our charity drives this year, and catch up to what I've accomplished in year's past. Over the course of my adult life; I assure you Uncle Sam places a much higher value on the tax money raised that is directly attributed to my being a civilian, than any service I could possibly provide as a soldier.
The pretense of this thread is such that in the event a draft was necessary to defend our nation; only those with the courage to admit their convictions would be eligible for it. The true cowards would snicker and laugh, hurl insults like baby-killer and burn the flag, all the while exercising the very freedoms the targets of their insults provide. The author of this thread has stated "I can assure you that I have no phoney concerns for the military ... the more of them that get killed off ... the better!" and "When I heard about Pat Tillman being killed by friendly fire, I about broke a rib from laughing so hard!" Some leader you all have chosen to follow.
OB defends McG's false analogy as "spot on" but is not able to provide any justification that it is not, as has been demonstrtated, a false analogy. He then follows up with his own false analogy. Service in the Peace Corps to those who oppose the Iraq War does not equate to miltary service for those who support the Iraq War. It just doesn't. He then poses a classic strawman in an attempt to demonize war protestors. Then he implies that Anon is a coward. Then, amazingly, he spends the rest of the the thread decrying ad hominem attacks.
I demonstrated why I thought his analogy was spot on. You answered not one question. Please demonstrate why mine is false. It is also customary to demonstrate where and why a Strawman is a Strawman, which you'll find impossible; since I neither constructed one, nor made any attempt to demonize war protesters in general. Nor did I imply Anon was a coward; I quoted his words, opined they were disgusting and left any judgment up to you. This thread is ONE BIG AD HOMINEM attack. Read the definition provided... and follow the link provided if you continue to have trouble understanding why.
Anyway, back to the topic. The issue of others sending others to war to die has been discussed for ages. It is a perfectly valid argument. In this case, it not only applies to the leaders but thousands of "fighting keyboardists" who promote this travesty from the safety of their computers while avoiding the duty to serve their country in time of need.
Supporting one fallacious argument with another is a sorry substitute for justification. In this case; you defend Ad Hominem with ad antiquitatem. This can also be learned about here.Argumentum ad antiquitatem (the argument to antiquity or tradition). This is the familiar argument that some policy, behavior, or practice is right or acceptable because "it's always been done that way." This is an extremely popular fallacy in debate rounds; for example, "Every great civilization in history has provided state subsidies for art and culture!" But that fact does not justify continuing the policy.
