Quote from: iiMTF on August 29, 2014, 04:05:27 PM
As far as I'm concerned, I'm never going to join the military in the future. The thought of it simply scares me, and I cannot bring myself to shoot a gun or anything like that.

Also, in a way, aren't soldiers basically mindless drones? A lot of them just fight in order to protect their country, but on the flip side, the enemy troops are doing the same exact thing.  It's like they don't care how many innocent people on both sides will die in the process.. And as soon as they kill a person, they aren't innocent anymore. They're a murderer. The human race just loves to do whatever it takes, even kill each other for power. The US no longer cares about anything the country was founded on as soon as it comes to war. It's all about power for most people. We're such a corrupted species.

That's just how I see it. Thanks.

~A

I have been to a lot of places and met all kinds of people.  New or different ideas, opinions, world views, the way people see themselves, origins of perceptions I never thought of, the perceptions themselves, facts, history- and how that history is told based on the borders in which it is told, are all things that I have vehemently tried to collect in my mind and understand and accept.

With this, you're more than welcome to have your opinion and to voice that opinion. I do not agree your opinion, but I think that a world without people that have that same opinion would be a world without balance.

I am bothered pretty deeply by how and where you voiced the opinion though.  This thread was pretty obviously aimed at veterans so it is mostly veterans who have posted to it. 

It would be considered an aggressive act to walk into a church full of people and shout that god is a farce,  it would be aggressive to go to a pride parade just to yell obscenities, and it is aggressive to post into a thread with a steep lean towards veterans and call those veterans names like murderers, mindless drones, and eluding to a pursuit of malicious domination (you used the word power, power is a much broader and deeper thing). 

You also took the actions and decisions of politicians and world leaders directing the militaries of the world and lumped them in with and generalized the personal integrity and moral code of the military members.  The opinions of the leaders don't always match those of the military member.

I hope that you do not take this post as a vengeful negative attack.  I hope that it helps you realize that people's military background is something that is often held very close in their hearts.  I do not want you to think that I am trying to argue pro or anti war or pro or anti government, guns etc. This is not the thread for those discussions.  5 years in the Marine Corps successfully destroyed a lot of my sensitivities, but for myself and probably all veterans, we don't appreciate such strong words against us and especially not in a place that should be safe and understanding like Susan's.

Quote from: Michaela Whimsy on August 29, 2014, 09:56:04 PM
I have been to a lot of places and met all kinds of people.  New or different ideas, opinions, world views, the way people see themselves, origins of perceptions I never thought of, the perceptions themselves, facts, history- and how that history is told based on the borders in which it is told, are all things that I have vehemently tried to collect in my mind and understand and accept.

With this, you're more than welcome to have your opinion and to voice that opinion. I do not agree your opinion, but I think that a world without people that have that same opinion would be a world without balance.

I am bothered pretty deeply by how and where you voiced the opinion though.  This thread was pretty obviously aimed at veterans so it is mostly veterans who have posted to it. 

It would be considered an aggressive act to walk into a church full of people and shout that god is a farce,  it would be aggressive to go to a pride parade just to yell obscenities, and it is aggressive to post into a thread with a steep lean towards veterans and call those veterans names like murderers, mindless drones, and eluding to a pursuit of malicious domination (you used the word power, power is a much broader and deeper thing). 

You also took the actions and decisions of politicians and world leaders directing the militaries of the world and lumped them in with and generalized the personal integrity and moral code of the military members.  The opinions of the leaders don't always match those of the military member.

I hope that you do not take this post as a vengeful negative attack.  I hope that it helps you realize that people's military background is something that is often held very close in their hearts.  I do not want you to think that I am trying to argue pro or anti war or pro or anti government, guns etc. This is not the thread for those discussions.  5 years in the Marine Corps successfully destroyed a lot of my sensitivities, but for myself and probably all veterans, we don't appreciate such strong words against us and especially not in a place that should be safe and understanding like Susan's.

I'm sorry this offended some of you, however I feel you interpreted it the wrong way. I NEVER wanted to or meant to insult a member of the military. My comment was aimed at political leaders and political leaders only, because of how controlling they are when it comes to this situation. I respect people in the military, and am very thankful of them.

Offending someone was not my intention, so sorry if it came off this way.

~A

Quote from: iiMTF on August 29, 2014, 04:05:27 PM
As far as I'm concerned, I'm never going to join the military in the future. The thought of it simply scares me, and I cannot bring myself to shoot a gun or anything like that.

Also, in a way, aren't soldiers basically mindless drones? A lot of them just fight in order to protect their country, but on the flip side, the enemy troops are doing the same exact thing.  It's like they don't care how many innocent people on both sides will die in the process.. And as soon as they kill a person, they aren't innocent anymore. They're a murderer. The human race just loves to do whatever it takes, even kill each other for power. The US no longer cares about anything the country was founded on as soon as it comes to war. It's all about power for most people. We're such a corrupted species.

That's just how I see it. Thanks.

~A

I am curious, what part of these comments do you believe to not be insulting? I am very surprised that you have not received several neg. points, then to blow it off as just being rude comments About political leaders is even more insulting to everyone's intelligence

Just in case you haven't noticed, the US military is one one the most tech. advanced militarys in the the world and takes great strides to protect civilians and avoid unnecessary casualties

Have you ever considered that without military technology you probably would not have many modern conveniences including the computer you are typing on?

Who do you think caused most tech. to develop and had it first then eventually allowed it to the general public?

Please put a little more thought in when replying

Thank you

V M

Quote from: V M on August 30, 2014, 01:21:02 AM
I am curious, what part of these comments do you believe to not be insulting? I am very surprised that you have not received several neg. points, then to blow it off as just being rude comments About political leaders is even more insulting to everyone's intelligence

Just in case you haven't noticed, the US military is one one the most tech. advanced militarys in the the world and takes great strides to protect civilians and avoid unnecessary casualties

Have you ever considered that without military technology you probably would not have many modern conveniences including the computer you are typing on?

Who do you think caused most tech. to develop and had it first then eventually allowed it to the general public?

Please put a little more thought in when replying

Thank you

V M

Ugh!! Just like everyone else, you're interpreting it wrong. I'm not saying that I dislike what they do in that sense, I am all for them taking these drastic measures to protect us.

What I'm saying is I don't see the point in war. Not just in the US, but in the ENTIRE WORLD. We have much more important things to worry about than killing each other off, mainly for land and power. Sure, a lot of countries don't get a long, but we were taught how to deal with that in grade school! Just deal with each other and get along. The world would be much more advanced if we worked together. Plus, we'd be able to get better protection from things in the solar system, like black holes and meteors.

I am VERY thankful to all the troops and political leaders for protecting us and keeping us safe, the ONLY thing I dislike is war itself. I do not see the point in starting a war.

I'm one of dem world peace freaks :p

About the smiting part- Since I'm not trying to insult anyone (though it may of came off that way, and I already apologized for that) AND I have the right to speak my opinion, I don't see why I should be smitten.

Now, PLEASE do not interpret this wrong. I'll put some key points down to make sure nobody misinterprets it:
-I am not trying to insult anyone
-I am very thankful for military men and woman, as well as political leaders.
-All I'm trying to say is I support world peace.
-Again, I am VERY sorry if I offended anyone. This was NOT my intention. I am not trying to be rude, I am just trying to state my opinion. Obviously, I am bad at that.

Ah, great. Now I feel like a b.

~A

Quote from: iiMTF on August 30, 2014, 09:58:20 AM
Ugh!! Just like everyone else, you're interpreting it wrong.

If you're really struggling to understand why your comments have been taken so harshly, please take a step back for a second. Look at this thread, and at your comments. Can you at at least see how they might be perceived as off-topic? If you can do that, it might give some insight about the context your comments are being taken in, and why they're so insulting. "In a way" doesn't really help very much.

I can believe that you don't mean to be malicious, but that doesn't change that what you've said hurts anyway. Why not be more mindful of others? Doing so can help avoid this in the future.

Quote from: Jera on August 30, 2014, 12:54:05 PM
"In a way" doesn't really help very much.

Yes it does.

There's a huge different between "In a way, aren't they just mindless drones" and "Aren't they just mindless drones". By "In a way", I meant the tiniest little SLIVER, less than 1%. Without in a way, it's all out 100%. And extremely rude.

To the rest of your reply; I'm learning. I'm fairly new to this world, and being that I've lived around rude people for a long time doesn't exactly help. I try, but please... bare with me. Feel free to correct me, but no need to be harsh. I took some of these replies just as hard as a few of you took my first comment.

~A

Quote from: iiMTF on August 30, 2014, 09:58:20 AM
Ugh!! Just like everyone else, you're interpreting it wrong. I'm not saying that I dislike what they do in that sense, I am all for them taking these drastic measures to protect us.

What I'm saying is I don't see the point in war. Not just in the US, but in the ENTIRE WORLD. We have much more important things to worry about than killing each other off, mainly for land and power. Sure, a lot of countries don't get a long, but we were taught how to deal with that in grade school! Just deal with each other and get along. The world would be much more advanced if we worked together. Plus, we'd be able to get better protection from things in the solar system, like black holes and meteors.

Sometime the weak and helpless need to be protected. I never give smites. But think of this, how many innocent people were murdered by Hitler before WW2 and even then the US did nothing until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. IMHO We should have been in it long before then to try to save the innocents from a genocide before we did. Truth be known, I would still sacrifice myself if need be to save someone innocent from suffering an unjust death. But that is just me though.

You are just young, when you get a little older you may understand. Or I really hope so. there are a lot of members her that are actually putting themselves in harm's way and actually suffering more because they are in the military and my heart really bleeds for them because I know how hard the four years I was in was for me.

Quote from: Jess42 on August 30, 2014, 08:25:39 PM
Sometime the weak and helpless need to be protected. I never give smites. But think of this, how many innocent people were murdered by Hitler before WW2 and even then the US did nothing until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. IMHO We should have been in it long before then to try to save the innocents from a genocide before we did. Truth be known, I would still sacrifice myself if need be to save someone innocent from suffering an unjust death. But that is just me though.

You are just young, when you get a little older you may understand. Or I really hope so. there are a lot of members her that are actually putting themselves in harm's way and actually suffering more because they are in the military and my heart really bleeds for them because I know how hard the four years I was in was for me.

I didn't say I didn't want the US to protect, I do want the US to protect. I don't see the point in STARTING a war. I only see the point in protecting people from a war.

Quote from: cynthialee on February 16, 2011, 05:56:21 PM
One of the reasons I joined the Army many many years ago was to make a man out of myself. Obviously this plan failed. LOL I was ruthlessly tormented by the other soldiers until I blew up one day. They ussed this blow up to chapter me out of the military.

I was wondering how many of the mid life and late in lifers joined the military to avoid or cover up the inner truth that they were a woman. How did it turn out for you?

Yep Army for me.........although it was the best experience of my life........it also solidified who I always knew who I was.

Quote from: iiMTF on August 30, 2014, 10:15:04 PM
I didn't say I didn't want the US to protect, I do want the US to protect. I don't see the point in STARTING a war. I only see the point in protecting people from a war.

Yeah, but sometimes it don't work that way though. Sometimes we have to declare a war in order to protect those that can't or won't protect themselves for some reason. Sometimes we have to declare war or a police action in order to protect the innocent. It is not pretty and any kind of fighting is never pretty. Even between tow people in an open field.

After Pearl Harbor we declared war on Japan and the Axis of "Evil" which was Italy, Germany and Japan.

Peace is Patriotic and real comfortable for men or women but especially children.  Police and Armies that protect and serve us best never fire a shot.....  and now back to living as one big happy human family

Okay folks

This topic asks a particular question, time to get back on topic

Thank you

V M

Quote from: V M on August 30, 2014, 11:17:56 PM
Okay folks

This topic asks a particular question, time to get back on topic

Thank you

V M

I still say what I said the first time. It just proved to me that I wasn't a real man or guy. I always got my butt kicked in hand to hand training and the Pungie  sticks and so on. I mean I always lost. Does that make me a wussy, female or what? Or just uncompetitive? This kind of got me thinking. I really didnlt even hve the "cajones" to repel without someone talking me through it, another freakin' female at that.

Well, it was more of trying to find myself and really having no direction and no way out of my small town in Texas and poverty, and yea, trying to man up, I knew I was transsexual/transgender as young as 5 or 7 years old. The military as a whole, in the USMC, sorta sucked in the SUCK, and was ok. I learned skills that have gotten me out of the toughest of situations of life and death, just by the brutality of what the USMC was. I learned never to crack in the face of the enemy, but only after the deed is done. With the current state of society now, I'm starting to see the worth of it sadly , trying to reconcile my transgenderness with my military service, not to be ashamed of it, unless I'm stealth, and then who needs to know, except myself. I'm just private that's all and wish to lead a peaceful, happy life. 

I did not join the military or police. Although I was in the Boy Scouts. Even though my main reason for doing so was that I got to go camping all the time I now question my youthfull motivations. In the Scouts I quickly escalated my image and bragged nearly the whole time that I was going to enlist in some branch of the services to which my peers responded with doubt and derision. So I spent the time at home begging my folks, ex hippies, to send me to military school. They of course refused. They knew I would not survive the uber maleness. So by my late teens, out of scouting for years my younger brother, cultural circumstances and mtv led me to the counterculture version through punk music. By my senior year I had learned about the S.H.A.R.P.  movement (skinheads against racial predjudice) and began telling people I was a skinhead. They were the manliest part of the punk world. They even wore military surplus clothing as part of their look. I kept myself as separate from real skins as I could but my brother, who is very masculine, made himself comfortable in that realm. The pose worked and up until five years ago when my world began to collapse at my feet I continued to maintain this so called image. I was kind of happy to find out that the reality of who I am kept people from listening to my bs. Very few of my acquaintances and friends knew about it. Only my close friends wondered how the big tough Boston skin coukd be a woman on the inside.

The choice to join wasn't to man up, but the choice of service was.

I joined the Army during peacetime, and I chose the infantry because they offered me an enlistment bonus of 5k; I also took advantage of the education benefits, and it was exciting to leave home, and set out on an adventure living in Germany. 

I voted no but I started to do police training and realized that was really just me trying to fit into a male role, and I quit. I realized living a more genuine life was more important then doing what society expects from me.

That plus I was a pothead at the time. :-P

I totally forgot that I took the tests to become a professional fire fighter but turned away at the last minute as I knew it wasn't for me. Spending all day in a firehouse with burly dudes and having to try to be one of them. There are four generations of fire fighting men in my family. It was an expected genetic obligation.

No I don't, plus my manly period didn't really last more than 2 weeks or so lol... It wasn't really for me, plus that's a huge extreme, I feel bad for everyone to had to do that.