(04-25-2024, 08:07 PM)DBCowboy Wrote: Sorry, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth when I have to remember being called a baby-burner and spit on.Thank you.
We had to travel in civilian clothes to avoid people attacking us.
It was a wonderful time.
But remember, we had a draft and people were protesting that.
People are now advocating for terrorist organizations.
A more reasoned answer. You might not remember that I'm a military brat and my dad was there in the middle of the fighting -- he did two tours and was embedded with the Vietnamese as an intelligence agent. My former boss was also there as infantry. Neither was spat upon and they did wear their uniforms while traveling.
I do remember the protests (I disagreed at that time with the protesters.)
However, most of today's protests are against Israel for their over-the-top actions. I can see launching attacks against Hamas (and today's weapons are sophisticated enough that surgical strikes, like the one against Bin Ladin and many other foes, can be done -- even when the target is inside a secured area and surrounded by civilians.)
However, that's not what's being done. Israel has the right to defend itself -- but killing aid workers and children don't come under that umbrella.
If you care to check closely (not the headlines but the news stories themselves or the organization) you will find that the protests have two main key points -- stopping the killing of civilians and the right of the Palestinians to have a free state with the borders that exist as of 1967: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Line...esolutions
Mostly it's about ending the killings, as I'm sure you've probably noticed in reading articles from multiple news outlets. Peaceful protests are a guaranteed right under the First Amendment (even if I disagree with what's being protested.) However, what we're seeing (at least in Texas) is an almost hysterical reaction to marches and protests that turns the whole thing violent. I think that's wrong, and it's the kind of inane reaction that's blown up before (Vietnam War protest, civil rights protests, etc.) Violent actions against protesters usually get an immediate backlash from those in the area, and that always turns violent.
Again, feel free to disagree or hammer a point with references. I'm up for that.
(04-26-2024, 01:06 PM)Blaine91555 Wrote: I'm so sorry that happened to you. One thing I hope you know is there were two very distinct groups of protestors. Peace protestors and militant anti-war protestors.
I like most of the peace protestors registered willingly and most of us walked away during the time when the violent groups started to form. Remember we were kids dealing with watching the nightly body counts on the news every night and watching friends and loved ones come home in body bags. The group I aligned with were for peace, but we were not against those who served. In my community we welcomed people back and honored them.
I think we are seeing the same here and now at the universities. Most kids, and they are kids, are protesting for good reasons, but it's the few instigators and those driven by violence who get all the attention. Most of those kids don't have clue other than its popular to protest.
Thank you so much for your service.
Thanks for your response. I remember the same things that you point out -- most of the campus protesters were for peace and not against the ones who served. And I remember communities welcoming service members home.
I agree that we're seeing the same kind of things today.
