U.S. Iraq war casualties reach new milestone

[ice grillin you]

yeah they should stop selling them period...they do nothing but kill people

but if they are gonna allow them to be legal i wouldnt vote for a smoking ban....just a ban in enclosed public places


you on the other hand would still allow then to be smoked in places like office  buildings and sporting arenas

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

but if they are gonna allow them to be legal i wouldnt vote for a smoking ban....just a ban in enclosed public places


you on the other hand would still allow then to be smoked in places like office  buildings and sporting arenas

Holy contradiction, Batman!

[ice grillin you]

its not a contridiction at all

im not against drinking i am against drinking and driving...or drinking in school

[Cerevant]

They are dodging around the free speech aspect by banning the use of the names of military servicemen on merchandise.  I argue that is like saying you can't make an anti-bush tee or button since he is the commander and chief.

Freddie, my opinion on government control comes down to this: in the US, you have the right to do what you want, until it infringes on someone else's right to do the same.  Smoking is unhealthy for someone else.  Drinking is OK, but drinking and driving puts someone else at risk.  Pissing on the sidewalk is a nuisance and health risk for others.  Pollution kills animals and harms the ecosystem that everyone must live in.

On the contrary, I am pro drug legalization (except smoking pot in public places, see above), pro prostitution, pro gay rights, and pro anything else that involves what someone does with their own time that won't hurt anyone else without their consent.

[Geowhizzer]

its not a contridiction at all

im not against drinking i am against drinking and driving...or drinking in school

It's obvious you don't teach middle school. 

[Geowhizzer]

U.S. may reduce Iraq forces by spring

I'll believe it when I see it.

[Stallworth Supporter]

Get drunk and screw...then move on.

[Event Horizon]

I was for a smoking ban before I was against it.

[MDS]

are you serious...there are actual laws banning a t shirt?


what a friggin joke...what is happening to this country

You obviously don't agree, but this is along the same lines with other big government personal freedom bans that you are completely in favor of.

Personal freedom is dead.  Capitalism is dead.  The mainstream politicians on both sides of the aisle want bigger government and more power.

I know. This is why I'm considering campaigning for Ron Paul, who is essentially a Constitutionalist. But he's barely polling 2% and has no money, so what's the point.

[Father Demon]

Military Cracks Down on Protesting Vets

Military cracks down on protesting vets
By Kirsten Scharnberg
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Sunday, Jun. 24 2007

CHICAGO — The young combat veteran stared at the letter in disbelief when it arrived in his mailbox a few months ago.

The Marine Corps was recommending him for "other than honorable discharge." The letter alleged he had violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice by wearing part of his uniform during an antiwar rally. Furthermore, the letter accused him of being "disloyal," a word hard to swallow for a man who had risked his life to serve his nation.

"All this because I have publicly opposed the war in Iraq since I came back from it," said former Marine Sgt. Liam Madden, 22.

Madden is not alone.

The military has recommended less-than-honorable discharges for at least two other combat veterans who have returned from tours in Iraq and become well-known antiwar advocates. One of them is a young man from Missouri who is 80 percent disabled from two tours; Cpl. Cloy Richards was threatened with losing his veteran's disability benefits if he continued to protest in uniform.

Critics — including some groups that have been the most supportive of the war — say the crackdown on these men constitutes a blatant attempt to quiet dissension in the ranks at the very time more and more members of the armed forces are publicly questioning the war.

"I may disagree with their message, but I will always defend their right to say it," said Gary Kurpius, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, in a scathing statement he released this month under the headline, "VFW to Corps: Don't Stifle Freedom of Speech."

The military has been quick to defend its decision to punish the men, stating that its policies regarding acceptable forms of protest are quite clear.
Military guidelines state that troops may attend demonstrations only in the United States, only when they are off base and off duty, and, most critically, only when they are out of uniform.

"We don't restrict free speech," said Maj. Anne Edgecomb, an Army spokeswoman.

Perhaps the most telling part of troops' protest is how open disgruntled service members are becoming despite the risk to their careers — signing their names to furious letters printed in military-owned newspapers; speaking on the record to reporters in Iraq about how badly the mission is going; writing members of Congress.

In recent months, some 2,000 active-duty and Reserve troops have used a legally protected right to request redress of their grievances to send demands for an end of the war directly to Congress.

A poll of 944 U.S. military personnel in Iraq, conducted by Zogby International and Le Moyne College, found that 72 percent of those polled believed the U.S. should pull out within one year.

Of the three Marines caught protesting in uniform, Richards' case has garnered the least public attention — but the most within military circles. The
23-year-old from Salem, Mo., has been deemed 80 percent disabled from two tours in Iraq. Richards is in the Reserves. He agreed this month before a military discharge review board that he would no longer protest in uniform in order to keep his honorable discharge and veterans benefits that come to some $1,300 per month.

But that hasn't silenced Richards' protest. He now attends antiwar demonstrations in civilian clothes; his mother, Tina Richards, attends as well,
wearing his old uniform for him.

This is not a freedom of speech issue, nor is it a military censorship issue.  The UCMJ (the "laws" for the military) clearly states that you can't protest in uniform, while on base, or while on duty.  These people know this. If they want to protest the war -- fine. That's their right.  Just follow the rules.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

[Diomedes]

3,562

[Stallworth Supporter]

What's the politically correct U.S. tally on dead Iraqi civilians at these days??

[Diomedes]

About 1/20th the actual count.  Cite any number above that and you're a commie traitor pinkofag.

[phillymic2000]

Which count? the total of civilians killed by U.S. and other outside military's count, or the total by killed by middle east militant/militia? not that it matters to some people.