Joined: Feb 29, 2004 Posts: 2922 Location: Up in that tree over there.
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Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:31 pm Post subject:
Real Patriotism
author unknown wrote:
I propose a Patriots Amendment to the constitution of the USA. It is surely true that a real patriot makes sacrifices for their country; an unpatriotic coward sits back and lets someone else do it for them.
Therefore let us demand that our military's expenses be paid by a ‘duty’, an income tax, a duty paid up in full each and every month—including projected expenses such as rehab and lifelong financial aid for our brave and deserving soldiers wounded in actions taken on our behalf. No American patriot would pass these costs onto future generations or sweep the sacrifice under the rug of distant obligation, but would gladly take it up upon their shoulders to show requisite respect, honor, and gratitude to those injured, incapacitated, wounded, maimed and killed for us. Think of what they’ve paid; think how little by comparison our ‘duty’ is. The military personal pay their ‘duty’ in pain and sacrifice made daily, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute. The Patriots duty would be paid only monthly. Surely only the meanest unpatriotic coward could object.
And furthermore let us honor the communities and peoples that make the greater sacrifice. The “Patriots Duty” should be based on the graduated income tax further weighted proportionally to favor the income groups losing the most people in combat.
Be not cowardly America! Let us each and every one bare our fair burden, make our just sacrifice for war waged in our name. Surely that’s the very least any real American patriot can demand of themselves and thier countrymen.
_________________ The question is not whether they can talk or reason, but whether they can suffer. -- Jeremy Bentham
Joined: Feb 14, 2005 Posts: 244 Location: Boston, UK
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:00 pm Post subject:
So, unpatriotic people are cowards, then
And anyway, doesn't income tax etc pay this stuff, if it doesn't then wtf why not, that's what you should be addressing, Mr Unknown _________________ Lots of new albums at Ambientlive
Joined: Feb 29, 2004 Posts: 2922 Location: Up in that tree over there.
Audio files: 5
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:49 pm Post subject:
Yorky wrote:
So, unpatriotic people are cowards, then
I was just at a local county store and have been assured that this is in fact true.
Quote:
And anyway, doesn't income tax etc pay this stuff,
Yes it does. But the full cost of the war is not broken out, nor is the war waged on a pay as you go basis. Perhaps I'm too cynical, but I support this on the notion that if citizens had to make some acknowledged sacrifice for the war, even if it is only paying their fair share, rather than just watching others suffer it on TV, we'd be less likely to spend billions on endeavors that have no appreciable effect other than maiming and killing. But then I'm both a coward and a cynic. _________________ The question is not whether they can talk or reason, but whether they can suffer. -- Jeremy Bentham
Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:05 am Post subject:
Re: Real Patriotism
bachus wrote:
author unknown wrote:
I propose a Patriots Amendment to the constitution of the USA. It is surely true that a real patriot makes sacrifices for their country; an unpatriotic coward sits back and lets someone else do it for them.
Therefore let us demand that our military's expenses be paid by a ‘duty’, an income tax, a duty paid up in full each and every month—including projected expenses such as rehab and lifelong financial aid for our brave and deserving soldiers wounded in actions taken on our behalf. No American patriot would pass these costs onto future generations or sweep the sacrifice under the rug of distant obligation, but would gladly take it up upon their shoulders to show requisite respect, honor, and gratitude to those injured, incapacitated, wounded, maimed and killed for us. Think of what they’ve paid; think how little by comparison our ‘duty’ is. The military personal pay their ‘duty’ in pain and sacrifice made daily, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute. The Patriots duty would be paid only monthly. Surely only the meanest unpatriotic coward could object.
And furthermore let us honor the communities and peoples that make the greater sacrifice. The “Patriots Duty” should be based on the graduated income tax further weighted proportionally to favor the income groups losing the most people in combat.
Be not cowardly America! Let us each and every one bare our fair burden, make our just sacrifice for war waged in our name. Surely that’s the very least any real American patriot can demand of themselves and thier countrymen.
I dunno, but the punchline is hilarious. I imagine John "Otto" Cleese could make this work. _________________ A Charity Pantomime in aid of Paranoid Schizophrenics descended into chaos yesterday when someone shouted, "He's behind you!"
Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:10 am Post subject:
Re: Real Patriotism
elektro80 wrote:
I dunno, but the punchline is hilarious. I imagine John "Otto" Cleese could make this work.
It would take a fair number of LSD dropping chipmunks, chanting some freemasonic ritual, in order to present the right setting for this one though. It could be done. It is amazing how resourceful comedians are these days. They even hired trained monkeys for the parts as "investigating journalists" when they made the "Operation Desert Storm prt.2" blockbuster. I guess the War On Terror thingie will soon rival Stargate SG-1 as one of the longest running TV shows. _________________ A Charity Pantomime in aid of Paranoid Schizophrenics descended into chaos yesterday when someone shouted, "He's behind you!"
Joined: Feb 29, 2004 Posts: 2922 Location: Up in that tree over there.
Audio files: 5
Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 1:04 pm Post subject:
Midst the humor here I do want to introduce another serious note. Even if you despise war and militarism it is not fair to blame the grunts for this. I know only two people who were in the military and both said they joined partly because of the draft but mostly because they were young and clueless*. I’m sure the latter is still true today, and as access to the middle class is an ever shrinking opportunity there are, no doubt, many who are there by economic pressure provided primarily by those least likely to end up getting shot or fried in a tank. So I do think our debt to them is real and should be paid in full and up front--at least so long as I am sufficiently cowardly to pay my taxes at all and thereby exist as part of a war machine--and I am at least that much a coward.
*And I don’t think there are too many of us old farts who can look back and say we were never young and clueless. _________________ The question is not whether they can talk or reason, but whether they can suffer. -- Jeremy Bentham
Joined: Feb 29, 2004 Posts: 2922 Location: Up in that tree over there.
Audio files: 5
Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:45 pm Post subject:
Yorky wrote:
So, unpatriotic people are cowards, then ...
To again turn serious, I do not think unpatriotic persons are necessarily cowards. The issue is especially difficult for me because I am an individual coward first and a citizen second. By which I mean that I have little enthusiasm for suffering or dieing for abstractions. Somehow I am not wired to accept the reality of abstractions with sufficient conviction to suffer and die for them, though to make such sacrifice for family and loved ones seems entirely comprehensible, perhaps instinctual. I'm still pretty clueless. _________________ The question is not whether they can talk or reason, but whether they can suffer. -- Jeremy Bentham
I have little enthusiasm for suffering or dieing for abstractions.
me too, but that does not make us necessarily cowards, maybe disillusioned, cynic, individualistic earthlings _________________ homepage - blog - forum - youtube
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