I had a most interesting time in Las Vegas. It was a wonderful time. Shauna's parents are two of the nicest people I have ever met. We saw a couple shows, and cruised around on Saturday. Just to get a glimpse of who brought up such an awesome woman, meant a lot to me. After her folks retired Sat night we decided to venture out and see where the night would take us. Jay and another friend gave me some money to play numbers on roulette so we ended up down the strip a ways at the Stardust. I was playing numbers with no luck at all. I was wearing my jacket which I had Shauna sew an Iraqi flag onto, just my way of silently protesting the war and supporting troops. I wear it so people will think I guess. I was playing number 18 when I looked over and saw a young man, staring at me with a look of complete anger, I knew it was the patch. I acknowledged him with a shy grin and looked back to the wheel. 35! He came up right next to me and put $100 on red. I asked him something about the odds and what that pays ignoring his angry vibe. He answered politely, still grimacing. Then he turns to me and pokes my arm where it reads Iraq, and say "What I wanna know, is what the fuck does that mean?" I explained to him that my whole immediate family was military veterans or employees
and that I wore it to show support not only for the troops, also for the ordinary people of Iraq. He respectfully extended his had and shook his head saying "Right on, I am in the Marine Corps" I probed him about his experience, amotions ran high and we had to retire to a bar to talk and relate. He said he couldn't deal with what he had done there, what he had to return to, and he was scared. His name is Casey, a 22 year young, strong man from South Dakota. Casey and I had tears in our eyes as he describes his job and that he doesnt understand why. He told me he doesn't want to go back, but he can't leave his boys in his unit. I told him I understood and he was brave for that. We agreed that I'd never have any idea what it's like there. We cried a little more. This young man who wanted to kick the shit out of me upon first sight had made friends with a pacifist. He continues about how he wants to get home in one piece although he's not so sure. We had to get going as it was suddenly 5 am. Here we were in Sin City, new relatives. He said his buddiesmade fun of him for crying. I told him it was okay to feel everything, we are after all only men. I gave him my contact information and he promised to write after his return to Miramar. We shared a warm brotherly hug, and parted ways, not able to withold the tears...That morning I prayed for his safe delivery home to his family. There was much love in that casino.

Four words for you my cowardly oppurtunist: 1.No 2. Homo 3.Hell 4.Fire

Good bye.

are you talking about?

Once again, good shit.

you're like a child walking into the middle of a movie. you have no frame of reference.

thankfully he's never been to Iraq, and will be retiring soon...
but i can't even tell you how many coversations i've had with
people that sounded exactly like that... good post man

★☆★☆★-☆-★☆★☆★ - ★☆★☆★-☆-★☆★☆★ - ★☆

*****-*-***** - *****-*-***** - *****-*-*****

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
usually i don't do this but uuu... keep the S!G going
*****-*-***** - *****-*-***** - *****-*-*****
... is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now in this very message board ...

I'm the man you think you are.... If you want to know what I'll do, figure out what you'll do. I'll do the same thing--only more of it. - Malcolm X

"Yo Calvin it's a thin line between fry's and shakes...the leaaaaaaanest burger in the world could be the meaaaaaaaanest burger in the world if you cook it that way a,a,a... I need to stop smoking this shit here boy-- dude from Wacarnold's skit (Dave Chappelle)

"it's better to have fought for redemption than to just sit silently sulking over the past" theScholar3000

When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.

Great Post-

It just reminds me that we are all just people. War is a tough thing no matter how we look at it. I am glad you were able to share the mans burden.

Peace in the journey.

Good post though..

for that. peace.

people living in rural areas hoping to see the world its fuck up dude know he shouldnt be in the army. this is fuckin crazy remind me of somebody i know out here

People who want to see the world on a Government's dime join the Navy. The Marines recruit, people choose the Marines. Many enlist because the odds of going to war are very slim, and in four years of service they figure it will never happen. Plus, they will have a paycheck, a place to live, and perhaps some direction in life. I don't think anyone soldier can tell you how they will react to war unless they're put in it. Think about the mentality it takes to pull that trigger and kill. If your survival instincts don't kick in you're done. I have a good friend who fought in Somalia (he was part of a Marine battalion that left right before the "Blackhawk Down" incident). He told me when he hit the beach he was scared to death, but he sure as hell was going to fight and get home in one piece. Thank God he did. He said the scariest part was securing the city not knowing if the kid walking across the street was going pull out a start blasting on them. They would go from home to home confiscating guns sometimes carrying as much as 100lbs worth.

"I wonder can I walk a rightous path holding a beer" - Common Sense

"Keeping It Real So You Don't Have To" - LRG

"I usually play the background, you know, clean cut, soft spoken, well dressed, dipped out, straight chillin when I'm in the club yo..." Phonte of Little Brother

>Many enlist because the odds of going to war are very slim,

They THINK it's slim. Turns out, they are pretty good.

Think of it in terms of, what were the chances airplanes were going to be hijacked and flown into buildings leading to war?

"I wonder can I walk a rightous path holding a beer" - Common Sense

"Keeping It Real So You Don't Have To" - LRG

"I usually play the background, you know, clean cut, soft spoken, well dressed, dipped out, straight chillin when I'm in the club yo..." Phonte of Little Brother

>Think of it in terms of, what were the chances airplanes
>were going to be hijacked and flown into buildings leading
>to war?

true, but that doesn't explain the mass enlistment following 9/11. Those who joined after this tragedy had to have some inkling of what they were getting themselves into.

>true, but that doesn't explain the mass enlistment following
>9/11. Those who joined after this tragedy had to have some
>inkling of what they were getting themselves into.

Incentives were high at the time ot enlist, so were feelings of patriotism. If you knew, or had an inkling, then I can't feel sorry for you because war has left you shook. I mean, I just had a friend deploy in Jan, he was hyped up to go. All giddy and ish when he was issued his weapons and stuff. Some guys are that gung-ho type, and in reality it a guy like that, that may be the one who helps you get home in one piece.

"I wonder can I walk a rightous path holding a beer" - Common Sense

"Keeping It Real So You Don't Have To" - LRG

"I usually play the background, you know, clean cut, soft spoken, well dressed, dipped out, straight chillin when I'm in the club yo..." Phonte of Little Brother

think in terms of a Bush in office. that alone should tell you war was coming sooner or later.

>think in terms of a Bush in office. that alone should tell
>you war was coming sooner or later.

More like lunacy. You don't provoke people from Texas.

"I wonder can I walk a rightous path holding a beer" - Common Sense

"Keeping It Real So You Don't Have To" - LRG

"I usually play the background, you know, clean cut, soft spoken, well dressed, dipped out, straight chillin when I'm in the club yo..." Phonte of Little Brother

>they will have a paycheck, a place to live,
>and perhaps some direction in life. I don't think anyone
>soldier can tell you how they will react to war unless
>they're put in it.

and forced me to think about it..
from where i stand, war is entirely immoral and something you must take a strong stand against unless you support it entirely. because war (..invasion) means that more than soldiers loose their lives.

i haven't been able to understand american soldiers who say they feel terrible about the war (invasion). they are actively a part of it, how then can they even have the conscience to denounce it? denounce a war you are an active part of, it IS bizarre. it's abit like.. the soldiers are very much individuals, but when they act under the military they're not responsible for their own actions anymore?! they can't help being there?

i've realized that the us military is a way to get a steady life for many, an income and a career. (different from how it is where i live)

but that's what is a shame. it results in thousands going to wars, fighting for something they don't even believe in, something many of them truly feel is wrong. thousands being used in an invasion, when they originally just seek a career and an income. they enter the military to make themselves a life, and end up taking lives.

war is usually cynical by nature. but USAs invasion must be as cynical as it gets, not to mention with its military/soldiers. generally i got the feeling that USA is a very cynical nation.

whoa ... this was moving .. thats moving man, i feel bad for those kids, because they come from poor socio-economic backgrounds, and they really dont know what they're getting into .....

and don't really care for Marines....branch rivalry....but this post is whats real. yeah they're jarheads but only cuz theyve been re programmed. the military really targets types like that and ruins their lives. This is how they get you to join, which I can vouch for, having wanted theese things, told by the military they would be provided if I joined, and being suckered: (taken from Paris' site, guerillafunk.com):

Military recruiters tour the country selling a dangerous product with glamorous ads, just like tobacco companies or drug pushers. The ads promise opportunity and adventure -- but don't believe the hype.

1. Joining the military is hazardous to your education.

The military isn't a generous financial aid institution, and it isn't concerned with helping you pay for school. Two-thirds of all recruits never get any college funding from the military. Only 15% graduated with a four-year degree.

What about going to school while you're in? Many GIs report that military life leaves them too busy and exhausted -- and doesn't really make time for them to go to class.

2. Joining the military is hazardous to your future.

Joining the military is a dead end. After you've spent a few years in the military, you're 2 to 5 times more likely to be homeless than your friends who never joined. And, according to the VA, you'll probably earn less too. The skills you learn in the military will be geared to military jobs, not civilian careers; when you come out, many employers will tell you to go back to school and get some real training. As former Secretary of Defense Cheney declared, "The reason to have a military is to be prepared to fight and win wars...it's not a jobs program."

3. Joining the military is hazardous to people of color.

During the Gulf War, over 50 percent of front-line troops were people of color. Overall, over 30 percent of enlisted personnel but only 12 percent of officers are people of color, who are then disciplined and discharged under other than honorable conditions at a much higher rate than whites. When recent studies showed a slight dip in young African-Americans' (disproportionately high) interest in the military, the Pentagon reacted with a new ad campaign. They're targeting Latino youth with special Spanish-language ads. The recruiters' lethal result: tracking high achieving young people in communities of color into a dead-end, deadly occupation.

4. Joining the military is hazardous to women.

Sexual harassment and assault are a daily reality for the overwhelming majority of women in the armed forces. The VA's own figures show 90 percent of recent women veterans reporting harassment - a third of whom were raped. Despite the glossy brochures that advertise "opportunities for women," the military's inherent sexism is evident from sergeants shouting "girl!" at trainees who don't "measure up," to the intimidation of women who speak out about harassment and discrimination - not to mention military men's sexual abuse of civilian women in base communities.

5. Joining the military is hazardous to your civil rights.

If you aren't willing to give up your rights, the military isn't for you. Once you enlist, you become military property: you lose your right to come and go freely, you're ordered around 24 hours a day, and you can be punished by your command without trial or jury. Free speech rights are severely limited in the military. You can be punished for being honest about being lesbian, gay or bisexual. Worst of all even if you hate your job, you can't quit.

6. Joining the military is hazardous to your health.

The military can't guarantee you'll be alive at the end of your eight-year commitment: they can't even promise you won't be desperately ill from "mystery illnesses" like those of the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. Whether it's atomic testing in the 1950s, Agent Orange during the war against Vietnam, or experimental vaccines and toxic weapons in the Persian Gulf, the military shamelessly destroys the health of its personnel -- and then does its best to downplay and ignore their suffering.

7. Joining the military is hazardous to the environment.

The US military is the single largest and worst polluter in the world, from toxins at bases to nuclear-tipped missiles to the destruction of ecosystems from South Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. And in today's military, the tanks and weapons are coated with depleted uranium from toxic nuclear waste!

8. Joining the military is hazardous to our lives.

The "adventure" in the commercials is code for war, the "discipline" code for violence. The military trains recruits to employ deadly force, yet recruiters rarely discuss the dehumanizing process of basic training, the psychological costs of killing, or the horrors of war.

The ads lie because the product is lethal -- not just to you, but to all of us.

For more information contact or write:

Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors:

630 20th Street #302,
Oakland, CA 94612
510-465-1617
Fax 510 465-2459

or

1515 Cherry Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-563-8787
Fax 215-567-2096

thats interesting, does that organization of objecters have their own website??

id be interesting in visiting it, they sound like they have some good ideas.

damn, dude needs to have a commercial for THAT.

"be all that you can be....go into college, not the military".

Easy,

Spirit

http://www.omegarhed.com - back on the grind (Omega is currently working on joints with Da Beatminerz, but we're still working the single, inbox with inquiries)

http://www.okayplayer.com/dcforum/DCForumID1/20303.html

"your arms are too short to box with god" comes to mind.

i wouldn't assume that this cat enlisted for any gung ho reason, but the kids who get sent off to fight without any sense of the obvious events involved in making war - i.e. human beings deciding who will live and who will die - seem to wind up the most damaged.

a lot of cats come back with problems, but some of 'em actually understood the stakes before they were thrust into the situation. imo modest experience talking with those folks, seems that they cope a little better with what's happened to them.

great post, j. would like to see this archived myself.