i liked him.

he was way off base, I mean uneducated people have so many more opportunities than joining the armed forces such as the fast food industry, or the ever growing panhandling industry.

if you honestly believe, in that semi-adult mind of yours, that a grown politician, and former wartime soldier, would make a blanket statement insulting the intellect of all men and women serving in iraq - you are a tool. it's clear that he was talking about the administration which has us "stuck" in iraq and the lack of intelligence that got us there. to pretend you think otherwise is an insult to your own ability to think. when george bush said, "i know it can be hard to put food on your family", i didn't pace around wondering how he could advocate smearing cottage cheese all over my sister. grow up.

it sucks when politicians accidentally speak the truth (that people with less access to good education may see their best chance is in the military) when said politicians actually mean to insult the president instead. well, whatever--poor people, rich presidents...same thing.

*yawn* this is so tediously NOT news, omg health care, schools, infrastructure, taxes, war, destabilization of whole wide areas of international politics, environment, (lack of) arms control... and THIS is what the White House wants to focus on? Where where they when Allen of Va. was slinging racial slurs around (or his staffers literally physically assaulting a blogger), where was Bush during Vietnam, or Cheney, or Runny... hummm

Just so everyone's aware--sometimes educated people choose to enter the military.

I don't give a rip what Kerry said or meant. I just can't stand to see people bash the military all together. Obviously many people think it's their only opportunity, but many people make the decision to enter because they want to do so.

Amen, Speechie, amen.

My father and brother both served our country, both by CHOICE.

Medical issues are the only thing that kept me from serving, which would have been MY CHOICE.

You know, I think the US should make military service compulsory. Might do some people a world of good.

PDDers
The deceptive political machine is running at top speed!
No matter what is said in the next couple days please don't let it discourage you from voting. Get educated in the issues!!!! and promise that you'll drag yourself to the polls on Tuesday no matter how disgusted you are with the whole world. I hear that distant chant of vote, vote, vote!
BTW - anyone have any potential "write in" candidates that I need to learn about?

Whoa! I never mentioned anything about compulsory military service. Mandatory service completely excludes choice, and service by choice is the point I was bringing up.

Oh, let me jump in the fray!

If military service was compulsory this war would
be over over in about fifteen minutes. That is if the Bush twins and the children of congresspeople had to go.

After what the U.S. military did to my father in/ after Vietnam I consider them the enemy.
Sorry, fuck with my family, I don't like you.
I'll fight/die for my country but the Federal goverment is a con job, not a government. When they uphold the constitution, then we can talk.

Bush and Cheney dodged the draft, that means someone
went in their place.
What heroes they are.

Whoooooooooooo let the troll out!?

Who!? Who!? Who!?

Fucking troglodyte.

Seriously: does The PartsTroll get paid to stir shit up?

True, after PartsGuy's 9/11 rant, I should know better than to even think about what he's saying.

partsguy- just real quick -
do you really think john kerry was bashing the military? i know you WANT to believe it, but do you really think anyone anywhere ever (especially with a microphone and a career in politics) would sweepingly call all soldiers stupid?

as a vet...i gotta get a cent in...

yeah, often educated people choose to enter the military. More often than not, they're college grads and even more common than that they go to OCS (Officer Candidate School) or one of the Academies and become Officers.

There is now and always has been a huge disparity between social classes and the military's enlisted ranks. Most of the ranks are made up of minorites...often from poor families and areas.

Kerry knocking the soldiers? Hardly. I understood all of what he was trying to say after hearing his speech only once.

Offended? Where's your enlistment papers? Got none? Sit down and shut up.