Are the only options hero-worshipping and soldier-bashing? - Reader comments at The New York Sun

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Reader comment on:
Rangel Adopts the Logic of Kerry's ‘Joke'

Submitted by Kat, Nov 28, 2006 18:17

I'm a college student who's been pretty lucky scholarship-wise, and plenty of my friends are headed into the military as they realize there's no way they can make it through college otherwise. And heck yes, this is definitely the case. He does wrong in generalizing that this is a specific group of unprivileged people... college prices are rising fast and high, to an absurd level here in Ohio actually, and it's not just "poor" people that can't afford it, it's everyone. BUT--I also have friends and family in the military who joined because they wanted to join the military. I don't want my college-money-military friends being pushed on the pedestal where everyone says "No, go ahead, we support that you want to die for your country," because it's not true. But nor do I want those who joined on purpose to feel that their contributions are being insulted. Isn't it possible to respect the decision and the duty, but regret the incentive? Just the same way I can be proud to be an American at the same time I can take issues with American policy? Isn't that kind of what being an American is? Likewise, isn't it kind of what supporting the troops is to question whether you're sending people into harm's way for a wrong reason? Actually, I'd prefer it if politicians didn't pander and use key phrases to gain support without saying their real opinions, so I'm not going to throw the guy out of the country and call him a hate-filled, freedom-hating, lying ignorant jerk, like so many people already have. I'm just going to listen to what he has to say, and then decide whether or not that's my opinion, and then make decisions about future candidates up for election likewise.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
Rep. Rangel and Senator Kerry's disparaging comments with regard to soldiers are JUST WRONG. Today's soldiers are among the most intelligent... [MORE]	James Pickart	Dec 1, 2006 02:05
The ONLY reason Rangel wants a draft is to get people into the military that don't want to be there... [MORE]	Mike S	Dec 5, 2006 07:42
I served in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer. I'd have to say the educational level and social background... [MORE]	Steve Scott	Nov 30, 2006 08:25
Why doesn't Mr. Rangel form a commission and find out why New England and New York in particular don't bare... [MORE]	Kris B.	Nov 29, 2006 18:09
Interesting, but where do you come up with your conclusions? You state "children of Republicans are doing the the majority... [MORE]	Stephanie	Nov 30, 2006 16:23
It's a well documented fact that children on an overwhelming scale follow their parents beliefs in politics. It's not a... [MORE]	Kris B.	Dec 4, 2006 20:36
Everything you wrote as fact is actually pure conjecture. My parents are Republicans and all three of their children are liberal... [MORE]	Stephanie	Dec 6, 2006 15:53
Rep Charles Rangel's "un-botched joke" implies that there are only two kinds of people who would defend their country: those... [MORE]	Miguel Guanipa	Nov 29, 2006 16:34
The all volunteer military is a great working idea. The armed services actually get the people who want to join.... [MORE]	Kris B.	Nov 29, 2006 14:55
Mr Rangel: Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. I served 10 years with some of... [MORE]	Dave G	Nov 29, 2006 12:18
Mr Kerry was implying that by Bush being a dumbass, he ended up getting America stuck in Iraq. Had he... [MORE]	Maxwell Y	Nov 29, 2006 12:12
62% of all Presidents have served in the military. Contrast that with the 9% of Democratic Congressmen and Senators who... [MORE]	Kris B.	Nov 29, 2006 18:18
When I graduated from high school in 1981 (GPA 3.25) I was working as a dishwasher and making $1 more... [MORE]	TiJon	Nov 29, 2006 11:51
Rangel is an ignorant ass just like the rest of the Democrats. I have spent 14 years in the U.S.... [MORE]	Brian L Payne	Nov 29, 2006 10:44
Learn to spell, mr edumacated..."collage?" [MORE]	OBSERVER	Nov 29, 2006 21:47
I served 28 years in the U.S. Navy; retired in 1997. If the military would accept me, I go over... [MORE]	Frank Slaby	Nov 29, 2006 10:33
"If a young fellow has an option of having a decent career, or joining the Army to fight in Iraq,... [MORE]	Mike S	Nov 29, 2006 09:50
Rangel served well in the military during his time, but the dynamics of the armed services have changed since the... [MORE]	Kris B.	Nov 29, 2006 09:32
I've heard plenty of liberals blaming rich Republicans for not sending their kids into the military. How come many Democrats... [MORE]	Kris B.	Nov 29, 2006 14:43
Neither of those elitists could ever understand why my bright, intelligent son who attended the public school's gifted and talented... [MORE]	Jaye D.	Nov 29, 2006 09:23
Jaye D: How can you say Rangel and Kerry have a 'pure hatred of the military'? That is just stupid. Why... [MORE]	Stephanie	Nov 29, 2006 14:08
Mr Rangle is a poseur... if you hear him speak, he knows nothing of poverty. By his most recent actions... [MORE]	Bonfire	Nov 28, 2006 23:34
"Mr. Kane, a former Air Force intelligence officer, said his study found that 97% of military enlistees were high school... [MORE]	Statistician	Nov 28, 2006 20:20
Rangel is right. The vast majority of people are not going to choose the military, or even consider it, as a... [MORE]	T. vanRoste	Nov 28, 2006 20:12
I'm a college student who's been pretty lucky scholarship-wise, and plenty of my friends are headed into the military as...	Kat	Nov 28, 2006 18:17
"No bright young individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits." "Once we... [MORE]	tuxedobob	Nov 28, 2006 14:17
Most of these comment talk about their brave friends, relatives, or neighbors that serve, but if you haven't serve you... [MORE]	Joe	Nov 28, 2006 13:45
Oh, here we go.... let someone seem to defame the young soldiers of America, and a flood of numbskulls crawls... [MORE]	Randall H.	Nov 28, 2006 13:44
I find it odd that Mr. Rangle can make such statements and declare that they are factual. The truth is... [MORE]	Tony D.	Nov 28, 2006 13:06
Chucky is just showing how he feels about this country. And when he's given facts that dispute his claim he... [MORE]	travis	Nov 28, 2006 12:59
and wrong. He never said that "everyone in the military is stupid". Nor did he say "everyone that is intelligent won't... [MORE]	Bill	Nov 28, 2006 12:56
Think very carefully about what Mr. Rangel said, and then compare it to what Timothy Kane said. You will see... [MORE]	Tony	Nov 28, 2006 12:56
Usually the most obvious explantion is the right one. What about those of us who chose not to fight, what... [MORE]	Chris	Nov 28, 2006 12:50
Mr. Rangel, What about the 4400 cadets such as myself at West Point? Do you think we are here and will... [MORE]	Cody	Nov 28, 2006 12:23
Opening up your mouth like this is a stupid thing to do for someone in public office but he is... [MORE]	Jeff E	Nov 28, 2006 12:14
If you are 18 years old and have money to go to to college, or any other prospects, you do... [MORE]	Stephanie	Nov 28, 2006 12:13
Anecdotal evidence is not taken as fact in a court of law or in the court of public opinion. The... [MORE]	Kris B.	Dec 4, 2006 20:48
no where did I suggest that my opinion was fact. [MORE]	Stephanie	Dec 7, 2006 15:41
Militaries ever since the dawn of history have used the lower classes as pawns in their struggles... this shouldn't be... [MORE]	kevin	Nov 28, 2006 12:10
3/4 of all our Presidents in history were at one time in the military. I guess they didn't have a... [MORE]	Kris B.	Dec 5, 2006 09:57
If a young Patriot in this country wants to help his country, he can serve in the military, he can... [MORE]	Kevin Hogarth	Nov 28, 2006 12:06
I spent seven years in the INFANTRY.I had finished a few years of college already, but most of my comrades... [MORE]	Joe Smith	Nov 28, 2006 12:03
Rep. Rangel proposed a draft because he wants to make the decision to go to war more difficult. I agree... [MORE]	Ned Balzer	Nov 28, 2006 11:54
I just finished my undergraduate degree in Journalism and have joined the U.S. Army as a firefighter. Rangel's comments are... [MORE]	John	Nov 28, 2006 11:50
Rangel's district is in the primarily lower- and lower-middle-class Harlem, where I live. The best analysis of his intentions here... [MORE]	Steve	Nov 28, 2006 11:35
As a veteran when I first read Rangel's remark I was furious, now I'm just filled with pity. Rangel cannot... [MORE]	Carl Hyngstrom	Nov 27, 2006 22:32
I attended the Univ. of Pennsylvania (Ivy League), as did my wife. We were both in Army ROTC. Penn is... [MORE]	James Brothers	Nov 27, 2006 20:43
Mr Rangle must be living in a hole. Not only did we have good Americans like Pat Tillman, he is... [MORE]	Vince Padia	Nov 27, 2006 16:32
Rangle also mentioned that he was subjected to having spent time in the armed services - and now he's a... [MORE]	Larry Schmitt	Nov 27, 2006 14:31
Yeah, Charlie, I don't doubt that YOU don't believe someone would actually fight for his country. And you a former... [MORE]	James Bridge	Nov 27, 2006 16:12
Mr Rangle, My son is a college graduate who chose to go into the military for patriotic reasons. Obviously, you are... [MORE]	Doug	Nov 27, 2006 13:57
My brother-in-law who has a business degree quit his civilian job to join the Army, turned down a desk job... [MORE]	Ted A.	Nov 27, 2006 13:56
First of all, Rangel was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. And his desire to re-instate the draft... [MORE]	John E. Kraft	Nov 27, 2006 10:53
Tell the Hon.(Sarc) Mr. Rangel that some of us have chosen to defend our country, ANYWHERE we are needed. I... [MORE]	Ed Brault	Nov 27, 2006 10:09
It may well be that Mr. Rangel is wrong, but it is so very interesting how all of these Think... [MORE]	Joe	Nov 27, 2006 09:28
My son is on his second tour to Iraq. I don't need idot's like Rangel telling me or anyone about... [MORE]	Bill Dockery	Nov 27, 2006 08:21
Are we proud to have him in a leadership position in our government? I am appalled. A young neighbor just... [MORE]	EstherT	Nov 27, 2006 08:20
We get the government we deserve. New York gets Rangle. His pure hate for the men and women of the... [MORE]	Larry Parrish	Nov 27, 2006 07:58
I am not commenting one way or the other on the potential efficacy of Rangle's proposed draft, or what I... [MORE]	Active Duty Officer	Nov 29, 2006 07:46
I have a nephew in Iraq and it just infuriates me the this supposed leader of the house can denigrate the... [MORE]	Janet Rager	Nov 27, 2006 07:21
Mr. Rangel is wrong. My husband being the perfect example. He received his PhD in Genetics from UC Berkeley, completed... [MORE]	Pamela F.	Nov 27, 2006 08:19
Charles Rangel never lets the facts interfere with his rhetoric. He listens to empirical evidence, and merely sluffs it off.... [MORE]	Richard D. Kvies	Nov 27, 2006 06:10
I will in no way argue that there aren't bright, intelligent, and educated people in the military. I have known... [MORE]	Marci T	Nov 28, 2006 12:59

Comment on Rangel Adopts the Logic of Kerry's ‘Joke'

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