Originally posted by caltour:
Originally posted by TourDeForce:

He's saying that the time for that is after the troops come home.



I respect your argument, but you are wrong about this.

It's also a matter of credibility: if we remained silent, we would rightfully be accused of sandbagging. We would be accused of having "20/20 hindsight."



Obviously, I think I'm right. The objections have been voiced. Let it play out without the relentless harranging is all I'm saying.

Originally posted by caltour:
Originally posted by TourDeForce:
You're giving them the impression that they can divide the nation & erode support for the effort, & therefore they will continue to perform their evil deeds when they otherwise would quit. And yes, I am saying that if the nation were united in the effort (now that we are in fact there), the terrorists & their potential recruits would quickly see the futility of their methods.



It may be true that if none of us expressed any opposition to the war, that the jihadi nutjobs would pack up and go home sooner. But it is politically naive to think that such a thing could ever happen in the real world. There are ALWAYS dissidents. How could they be silenced? Would you ban street protests? Would you ban letters to the editor? Jihadi nutjobs can read the results of opinion surveys saying that most Americans now think the war was a mistake. Would you ban such polls?

Our right to protest and dissent and speak our minds is fundamental to democracy. If you ban dissent, you are destroying the essence of democracy: the right of individual citizens to influence decisionmakers and policymaking. If you ban dissent, in the hopes of demoralizing the insurgents, you are essentially giving up the very bedrock of our liberty. You are giving up the best thing we have, just to paper over Bush's huge mistake.



Who said anything about banning anything?? You're putting words into my mouth. Again, The objections have been voiced. Let it play out without the relentless harranging is all I'm saying.

Originally posted by caltour:
Originally posted by TourDeForce:
There will be the few hard-core retards, but recruiting would be near impossible without evidence of any effectiveness.



I agree. Most Americans now think that Bush's decision to invade Iraq was a mistake. Naturally, it's getting harder and harder for the military to convince potential recruits that Bush's war is worth dying for. Does that mean we dissenters are endangering the troops? Maybe it means that we dissenters will end up SAVING soldiers' (and future soldiers', and potential recruits') lives.



You are deliberately being obtuse AGAIN. I was talking about the terrorists ability to recruit, not our own military. You knew that, but decided it would be more fun to twist meaning & send up yet another smoke screen. You're not fun anymore.

Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.