First of all, I asked if you ever served your country in any capacity? This was meant to include but not be limited to, Peace Corps, Vista or any other worthwhile cause. I was not disrespecting you for not serving in the military.
So before I revise my answer to your question,,,
Let me ask *you* a question-
Why is this relevant to the thread topic?
The way I remember it, our discussion went something like this:
- We're all exchanging ideas on the guy who threw shows at George W
- You posted- saying something along the lines of- the guy isn't very professional because it would be hard to imagine one of our journalists behaving in this manner
- I posted- sharing the viewpoint that you weren't making an apples to apples comparison. I used an analogy in an attempt to shed light on the perspective of Iraqis and how if our journalists were put through what their people were put through at the hands of GW that they might also throw some shoes or worse.
- You responded telling me that you find me "irrational" and asked me if I ever served my country in any way.
So again, I ask you, sir. What difference does it make whether or not you or I have served our country in any way (as it pertains to this discussion)?
Which brings me to my next point. I will never "hide behind my service" in my attempt at anything. I am extremely proud of my service and the ideals and principles it instilled in me. There was no attempt in my mind to shame you, discredit you or berate you for not serving. I was asking, and would ask not only you but anybody, what have you personally contributed to your country?
You served. Thank you. Again-
thank you. Lots of people served. Lots of people didn't. But why do you feel the need to bring this into every discussion?
Andy: I think Hurricane Oyster Bar has the best crab cakes.
Geo: No way, man. Red Bar's are consistently better because of X, Y and Z.
Andy: I find you irrational. You wouldn't know a good crab cake if you sat on one because I served my country proudly. Tell me what single thing you have ever done to serve your country.
Geo: Did you order the Code Red?
Andy: You can't handle the truth
My next point. If you have not ascertained my ideals, principles and desires for the forward progression of our country by now, you haven't been reading and analyzing my posts. I will not reiterate them here but suffice it to say the direction our country is now heading is not the direction I visioned when I was putting myself and others in harm's way.
Here is what your words above say to me-
"You don't agree with me so you clearly haven't taken the time to read my words or you are incapable of understanding them. So I won't continue to exchange ideas with you but my last word will be that the ideas that the majority of voters share about our country today are different than what I had in mind when I was making sacrifices that you never did. Had you, you would think like me."
There is no doubt you are a respectable and thoughtful individual.
Thanks Andy. And I do respect you and appreciate hearing your perspective.
We will probably never agree on our desires for our country and I am OK with that as I hope you are. I gave a good portion of my life to protecting what I thought was the proper path. If it was wrong, so be it, but I don't think that is the case and it literally grieves me to see some of the proposals being supposedly made for the betterment of our nation.
There it is again. Did I forget to thank you recently? After rereading my posts in this thread alone I have thanked you at least 3 times for your service. Others have as well. Now let's talk about something else besides your service and the lack of service of anyone who disagrees with you. Please?
