Mom & Dad, I've joined the Marines to fight for our country's freedom.

[Philosoraptor]

Imagine if your son or daughter came to you with these words, or to tell you that they are thinking about enlisting. What would you say to them? Would you praise them, beaming with pride? Would you encourage them to sign up and do the patriotic thing, like you did maybe?

Particularly right now, how would you feel if your son said he needed the money to pay off his debts, pay his rent for his family, get a good education and G.I. loans, etc, all while fighting our enemies who attacked us? Can you hear your son or daughter asking this in complete sincerity, or telling you they've already enlisted?

Would you try to dissuade them, tell them the real reasons behind this war, as complicated as it is? Can a young, energetic, patriotic person be talked out of joining the Army? Would it be wrong to do that? Would it be unpatriotic?

It could happen you know, maybe it already has happened. How did you handle it? How did it make you feel as a parent?

Only a parent can really understand such a thing, and millions have had this very conversation with their sons and daughters, maybe you yourself said these things to your own parents way back when things weren't so crazy.

I've been through this. My oldest son came to me during the first bush war with Saddam, and said he wanted to join the Army and fight the evil Saddam who ordered babies thrown out of incubators (never happened) and gassed his own people, (with gas WE sold him)

I talked him out of it, explaining the whole bloody thing in great detail, it took an hour, and I told him I was proud of him, but that if he died for george bush, he'd have died in vain, that he wouldn't really be fighting for his nation, but for super wealthy men who want to conquer America and the world. I actually said this very thing during the first gulf war. Should I be ashamed for doing this?

Now my youngest is 23. He has never come to me with these words, but it could happen. You might have a 12 year old, who might come to you in ten years with these words. Yes, in ten years, or maybe twenty if the neo cons aren't stopped.

We must stop these men, and pretty fucking soon. bush has lied so many young Americans into their graves telling them they are fighting for freedom, democracy, safety, liberty and a lot of other lofty sounding things, and he doesn't give a damn about a single one of them, despite what he says.