Friday, March 07, 2008
They Stood And Were Counted
If the stories of abuse of those in uniform are true then the people of Peterborough should be ashamed. I am a bit sceptical because the press are good at getting it wrong. But I can understand that people feel strongly against the war. I still believe that it was wrong to go to war, and all a result of two power thirsty men who had mistakenly ended up in control. However, wrong or not, the men in uniform are not the ones to blame. They put themselves on the line because it is what they signed up for. They obey because it is expected, they act with honour. Let us all remember the phrase "don't shoot the messenger".
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2 comments:
Yes, I was against the war and am not keen on the armed services in general (I know, I need to work on that idea a little...). I think people need to be accountable for what they do at work and "I was told to" isn't an acceptable defence for everything. I think there's a place for reasoned debate with friends about why they do what they do.
I don't think it's ok to be abusive to people, damage their property and frighten them.
I did get the impression that it was more of a locals vs military people, in the same way that students aren't always entirely welcomed by locals.
Also, I don't really understand why it's so important that they're out and about in their uniforms. Lots of people doimportant and valuable jobs which require them to wear a uniform. When they're not actively working, they wear normal clothes. Surely it should be the same for soldiers and the RAF?
I agree that "I was told to" is not an acceptable defence. But to ahve people willing to do what they are told with little thinking is important for front line defence. You can't spend an hour discussing merits of an action when the enemy are coming at you.
But I think that there is a theoretical discussion about having armed forces and what they do. The people who are doing it at the moment because that is the position we, as society, have asked them to fill deserve respect.
I don't think it important that they go about in uniform but I think that they should be able to without abuse.
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