[BostonBullit]

this was all over the radio this morning here in Boston. It's being discussed on "other boards" but I figured it might be an interesting thing to post here....

Link to article


we have no shortage of idealistic college students up here in Boston that have waaay too much time to sit around and contemplate the universe. this article is just an attempt to inflame the citenzenry and claim her 15mins of fame for her "cause". She makes judgements about this specific person without ever having known him, there are no indications that she interviewed anyone who did know him or attempted to learn anything about him other than what she saw on the news.

Was pat tillman a "hero"? I don't know, depends on your definition of hero. IMO he's as much a "hero" as anyone who signed up to fight the japenese after pearl harbor. He's no more a "hero" as any serviceman that signed up full well knowing that they were going to be deployed to a hostile nation with the real possability of getting killed. They all get my full respect for the job they're doing, because ultimately it has to be done.

This person has the right to their opinion, just like everyone around her in the town of amherst has the right to shun her and turn her into a complete outcast. Personally I would like to see the Tillman family fly out here, walk up to her, and simply punch her right in the face. you know she's not going to fight back, and while she's prattling on about how this is a "predictable barbaric response" they can probably get in a few more good pops...

 

[Toshi]

Originally posted by BostonBullit
Was pat tillman a "hero"? I don't know, depends on your definition of hero. IMO he's as much a "hero" as anyone who signed up to fight the japenese after pearl harbor. He's no more a "hero" as any serviceman that signed up full well knowing that they were going to be deployed to a hostile nation with the real possability of getting killed. They all get my full respect for the job they're doing, because ultimately it has to be done.

i agree that wwii "had to be done". but iraq and afghanistan are different, and imo are essentially the us striking out blindly at an invisible foe, and as such are wastes of money and life.

 

[BostonBullit]

Originally posted by Toshi
i agree that wwii "had to be done". but iraq and afghanistan are different, and imo are essentially the us striking out blindly at an invisible foe, and as such are wastes of money and life.

Afganistan and Iraq are not the same thing. There was verifiable intel that the one responsible for Sept 11 (or at least the one claiming responsability) was in Afganistan and the Taliban government was given every opportunity to hand him over. There is no way any rational person could make the arguement that they didn't know where he was at all times, he was their equivalent of a hollywood star for crying out loud. The US was after a specific person who I would classify as elusive rather than invisible, and if we hand't sat around so long chatting with the tallywackerban then we'd probably have killed him.

Iraq is a whole different story, but we're not talking about Iraq here....

 

[Toshi]

Originally posted by BostonBullit
Afganistan and Iraq are not the same thing. There was verifiable intel that the one responsible for Sept 11 (or at least the one claiming responsability) was in Afganistan and the Taliban government was given every opportunity to hand him over. There is no way any rational person could make the arguement that they didn't know where he was at all times, he was their equivalent of a hollywood star for crying out loud. The US was after a specific person who I would classify as elusive rather than invisible, and if we hand't sat around so long chatting with the tallywackerban then we'd probably have killed him.

Iraq is a whole different story, but we're not talking about Iraq here....

ok, so afghanistan actually had some intel behind it. great. both are still essentially knee-jerk "we must bomb SOMETHING!" reactions to 9/11 imo, and both represent america deciding that regimes that they once supported were no longer of utility to us.

 

[Westy]

Originally posted by BostonBullit

Was pat tillman a "hero"? I don't know, depends on your definition of hero. IMO he's as much a "hero" as anyone who signed up to fight the japenese after pearl harbor. He's no more a "hero" as any serviceman that signed up full well knowing that they were going to be deployed to a hostile nation with the real possability of getting killed. They all get my full respect for the job they're doing, because ultimately it has to be done.

I am no fan of the way our government has been using our military, but you have to respect those who join and do a good job. It is a tough low pay high risk job and volunteers do it so those unwilling don't have to.

The only difference with Tillman is he gave up a glamorous high paying job to do so. Most people are greedy money grubbing bastards. There are many people I know that have taken a path in life that has avoided greed, turned down career paths to stay with something they love or to help friends and family. These people also garner great respect from me.

 

[jimmydean]

I just think it's unfair to hold the fact he chose the NFL prior to joining the Army Rangers against him.

We all make mistakes, the NFL was his. The fact that he saw his mistake and walked away from it while he still had a chance is the main thing.

He was proudest wearing the uniform of a Ranger than any other uniform. I can't blame him for that.

 

[Evel Monkey]

Tillman is a hero because he thought for himself. He had the stength to figure out what was right for himself, and the courage to follow through with it, despite, I would imagine, all those who told him he was insane for coming to such a conclusion.

Tillmans' case is very isolated. To everyone else, he was a star, a celebrity, but my guess is he thought of himself as a regular person, an American citizen.

Now for everyone else who is over there, I feel that the word HONORABLE is appropriate.

True, the word "hero" is thrown around more than it should be, but I think he should be counted.

Look at it this way:
How many young men over there do think would have loved to trade places with him, Tillman the pro football player, a man how did not did not in any way need to be there? He chose to be there with them.

By calling him a hero, not one thing is taken away from those who are also serving. It is adding to their honor, because he was on of them.