I Miss Bush

[Big Sarge]

I miss the way our country was in late fall of 2001. We were united. People showed patriotism and meant it.

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by Big Sarge

I miss the way our country was in late fall of 2001. We were united. People showed patriotism and meant it.

That was in spite of bush (in many cases), not because of.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Pete Zicato

That was in spite of bush (in many cases), not because of.

I think most people barely knew who he was or what he was about since he had really only been in office 9 months.

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

I think most people barely knew who he was or what he was about since he had really only been in office 9 months.

True. I should have payed more attention to the date specified.

Still had nothing to do with Bush.

[spudcon]

Originally Posted by Pete Zicato

True. I should have payed more attention to the date specified.

Still had nothing to do with Bush.

C'mon guys, haven't you heard 9/11 was Bush's fault too?

[Pete Zicato]

And he killed Cock Robin. But that's not what we're discussing here.

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by spudcon

C'mon guys, haven't you heard 9/11 was Bush's fault too?

Not his fault but he was warned and chose to ignore it.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Big Sarge

I miss the way our country was in late fall of 2001. We were united. People showed patriotism and meant it.

They also showed a lot of hatred, intolerance, racism, stupidity and bigotry and meant it. (I probably missed a few, but you get the drift). However, I'm sure the armed forces were suddenly appreciated a whole lot more and that has faded now

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by monster

. . . I'm sure the armed forces were suddenly appreciated a whole lot more and that has faded now.

They were, and it hasn't. Admittedly, I live in a Navy town and drop in on the local American Legion post at the other end of town fairly regularly.

But even old NavVets like me, long out of the service, are getting "Thank you for your service" and a handshake, at random times and places around town.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla

But even old NavVets like me, long out of the service, are getting "Thank you for your service" and a handshake, at random times and places around town.

You still wearing the uniform?

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

You still wearing the uniform?

Oh dear, Bruce. Was NavVet an unfamiliar term? Means Navy veteran. You hear recruiters using it mostly. 1977-86. You do seem to have missed the "long out of uniform" phrase.

My Navy retiree wife has more tats than I do. Which is easy, since I haven't any. She thinks it would be cool if I did get one. She got all two of 'em after she retired.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Oh fuck you, I know what navvet is.

...getting "Thank you for your service" and a handshake, at random times and places around town.

How the fuck do they know if you're not wearing your uniform, or telling of your thrilling peacetime sagas.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Big Sarge

I miss the way our country was in late fall of 2001. We were united. People showed patriotism and meant it.

Bush certainly squandered that quite spectacularly, when he invaded Iraq and tried to equate support for that to patriotism.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Bush certainly squandered that quite spectacularly, when he invaded Iraq and tried to equate support for that to patriotism.

Not to mention that bit of exquisite legerdemain where he managed to conflate 9/11 and his old family friend Bin Laden with Al Quaida and Iraq. That was sweet.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Bush certainly squandered that quite spectacularly, when he invaded Iraq and tried to equate support for that to patriotism.

Let's see: destruction of unfreedom -- happened when Saddam went fugitive, was later captured, and later hanged. Check.

Replacement of unfree social order with a democratic one. Check. (Corruption problems? Common in Third World countries. Undesirable, the same way measles are undesirable. Not necessarily lethal to the body politic, nor necessarily a reduction thereof, is it?)

And is not liberty a birthright of mankind, attributable to God if you're a believer, however weakly?

Don't sweat the patriotism angle: this was obedience to God, as Ben Franklin put it lo these many years ago.

And some people -- if they really are people and not some kind of possessed meatpuppets -- object to that.