Dallas label releases country music compilation to help the troops

David Gouldin, says:

<a href="http://www.myspace.com/smallguymusic">Small Guy Music</a> has been promoting their Operation: Rock the Troops effort for a while now. They may not have the support of Willie Nelson, but they've been filling bills with great local bands for at least a couple of years.

Rick Yost, says:

Seems to me that the patriots today are the young folks we've sent overseas in harm's way. The rest of us are back here selling cute little ribbons, furthering our music careers with yet more sappy churn- (in support of course), and complaining about the outrageous price of gas for our Escolades. Whether it be hurricanes, terrorist attacks, or acts of war, you can bet an American will profit from it. Some of us were being patriotic when we voted to oust the current regime- (the Stupidity Czar) Apparently the rest of the country was quite comfortable sending young lives to their death, while they sat at home warm and comfy in the throes of the American Dream. (Sorry, I don't really care for 'cause-inspired' music- especially country)

Sanders Kaufman, says:

Well said, Rick. This war is one big open-door for scam artists - and they're seizing those opportunities left and right.

As I write this, CNN is running a story about how the Bush Regime has contracted out the building of casinos in Iraq, in which soldiers are encouraged to deposit their paychecks. It's a story because soldiers with literally nothing else to do are going broke.

Last night, I sat up with my niece and we watched Wag-the-Dog. When it got to the part where Willie Nelson was writing "Old Shoe", I immediately thought of the subject article for this discussion.

I'm a conservative, and a life-long Republican - but as far as I'm concerned, the folks who trie to profit from this war should be sent off to fight it.

Sanders Kaufman, says:

... and they should get the cheap armor.

Erin Rice, says:

While I do not necessarily agree with companies profiting off the war and off the deaths of Americans, Iraqis, and others, I think there can come some good from this compilation CD. Our troops are out there, under-protected, because they have not all been properly outfitted. I don't know exactly how the money from the sale of these CDs will be appropriated, but if it can help in some way provide resources, then maybe it's not all bad and should not be wholly bashed.

Sanders Kaufman, says:

I can't agree with providing any more money or encouragement to the troops in Iraq. They are bad people who are doing bad things for bad reasons.

Just last week, a report said that 1 out of ten of them have actually abused an innocent civilian for no good reason... and that's just of the ones who admitted it.

This CD is put together by our Country and Western subculture. They have an overwhelming disrespect for all things non-Christian, and non-American - and this is simply their way of profiting from a war that they pretend to support, but in which they refuse to fight.

Furthermore, the soldiers won't see the profits from this because that's not how this war is funded.

Erin Rice, says:

So 1 in 10 is enough reason to classify all troops as bad people? Yikes. I had no idea that was the preferred level of statistical significance in such a situation.

Sanders Kaufman, says:

Less than 1/100 of Nazis admitted to abusing Jews, but we still damn them as a whole.

Still, if the fact that 1/10 of troops have admitted abusing innocent civilians were ALL that the troops had going against them, it would still be pretty bad.

But that 1/10 figure is only one of MANY things that shows how the US soldiers in Iraq are the Bad Guys.

Never forget that this was a war of aggression by a hostile nation against people who were not, are not, and could not soon become a threat to anything we value.

A lot of folks say we shouldn't blame the troops for what they have chosen to do. But, as a conservative, I don't believe in giving people a free-pass for bad acts against innocent people.

Don't be fooled by the haircut and the uniform and the CW ballads. They're terrorists - plain and simple.

Erin Rice, says:

Ok, ok. Please don't try to derive arguments that I'm clearly not making from what I wrote. In the first comment, all I was saying is that maybe we shouldn't 100% condemn the CDs. I believe if you go back and read it, you will see the point I was trying to make, whether or not you agree with it.

Second comment: I am also <em>simply stating</em> that 1 in 10, is not a high enough number to generalize a full population, the population being the U.S. troops serving in Iraq. Yes, there are those troops that are doing things they shouldn't, and that is highly despicable. I am not blind to abuses that take place, in fact it was one of my main research interests while I was in college and graduate school. BUT, there are other troops there who signed up for the armed forces because they wanted to protect their country, or they wanted to pay for their education, or some other non-devious reason. I think it is incredibly unfair to generalize and characterize all the troops overseas as so-called "bad people" based off a statistic of 1 in 10.

Here are arguments that I never made. I never advocated more money for "winning" the war. I just want to make sure the people over there can be as safe as possible, people on <em>both</em> sides. I never said that the troops being "bad people" or "not-bad people" would win the war. To be clear I am not making ANY arguments about the outcome of the war.

I did make mention that I did not know how much the CDs were going to help and how the funds would be appropriated. I just like to see both sides of the argument and give sliver of credit where it might, could, possibly, maybe, hopefully, be due.

Sanders Kaufman, says:

terryorze - I think it's wrong to think that the non-US fighters in Iraq are in any way Good Guys.

George Bush said from the start of this thing that he intended to draw al Quaeda into Iraq in order to fight them there, instead of here. He kept that promise.

There are a lot of theories about why he Rev. Bush not done anything to take out al Quaeda's leadership and about why he wanted to draw their wrath down upon the Iraqi people.

But, don't think for a minute that the Iraqi people are fighting against us. They are not. They are a beaten, depressed, impotent, shadow of a people. At this point, they couldn't muster the gumption to fight off a Cub Scout pack, much less al Quaeda or the Republicans.

Sanders Kaufman, says:

Erin - support for the CD's has to be one of those agree to disagree things.

If you like the idea of supporting those crazy (*#&amp;)'s in Iraq, then of course you're going to want to do whatever you can to do what you can for them. And if that means some war profiteer gets a little something for himself and you're okay with that - so be it.

Personally, I think that's a great way to perpetuate TWO bad things.

And I agree with you whole-heartedly that that 1/10 figure alone is not enough to damn all of the uniformed terrorists in Iraq. That's why I posted a few other reasons why they can be damned as a whole.

Erin Rice, says:

Haha, ok, not exactly the point I was making, in fact nowhere near it, but whatever.

A) just want more facts on the proceeds before I completely condemn, and

B) don't want to generalize a group of people, particularly our troops.

That is all. Cheers!

Sanders Kaufman, says:

Chuckle-chuckle.

I like how you say you don't want to generalize a group.
Isn't generality the very thing that MAKES them a group?

Cheers.

Erin Rice, says:

No. The only general characteristic you should be able to attribute to the group here is that they are all troops enlisted in the U.S. forces. Beyond that, you're making generalizations about them based on characteristics they do not all share.

Chad Jones, says:

The toughest logic for me to follow in this thread is comparing our troops to Nazis. Make your own opinions about Bush, the "War on Terror," the falsification of WMDs, and abhor the abuses that a few horrible soldiers have committed.

But invoking Nazis to make any kind of argument is the biggest, troll-ish, internet-argument faux pas imaginable—and the silliest way to lose your credibility.

Sanders Kaufman, says:

Chad - those "few" are actually, fully 10% of the troops in Iraq... and that's just the ones who were willing to admit to their crimes.

Invoking the word "nazi" in describing the soldiers, their leaders and the administration is wholly apt. Granted, GW and his military are a pale shadow of what the Nazi empire was - but their motives, tactics and goals are much the same.

I realize that saying so turns some people off. It was the same way back in old Germany. They, too, wanted to downplay the atrocities.

I remember seeing a documentary where the town of Buchenwald was forced to tour the concentration camp there. As the civilians walked past the displays, they kept crying, "We didn't know! We didn't know!".

If the Islamists win, and they force you to tour Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, or any of the several other torture centers scattered throughout the world, will you too say "We didn't know"?