Reply #151: By the way, welcome to DU, and here is your free lesson for the day:

[Swamp Rat]

"I've yet to run across any service member who signed up completely oblivious to the fact that we're in the midst of two wars. So if I may ask, where are these multitudes of completely oblivious young people, marching to recruiting stations with glazed over eyes, totally unaware of the fact that we're at war?" - Straw Man

"One needn't spend an enormous amount of time on this board to notice how regularly portrayals are made of our service men and women as "kids" incapable of making adult decisions. One needn't look further than this thread, or your posts, to see it." - All message boards are the same? No further research on your part or time spent at DU is required? I am being kind when I say this is fallacious reasoning at best.

"The average length of enlistment in the Guard is 6 - 8 years. It's been over eight years since the 9-11 attacks." - Red Herring

"all of these people volunteered (yes, volunteered) fully aware of the fact that we're at war." - 1. Congress did not declare war 2. Bush promised he was not a nation builder 3. We were not attacked by Afghanistan nor Iraq, and many enlisted to get the 911 attackers: Osama Bin Laden and his associates. By the way, where is Osama? I thought Bush was gonna smoke 'em out dead or alive.

Now for the free lesson I offered, but this is all the time I am going to spend on this with you so read up:

Bush went to the United National Security Council to get a resolution authorizing the use of military force against Afghanistan and Al Qaeda, but he failed, and Congress never declared war against Afghanistan or Iraq. All he got was a "War Powers Resolution" authorization, which does not have the constitutional significance of a formal declaration of war. It only authorizes the use of military force in specified and limited circumstances.............. So, how long did you say we were in Afghanistan and what was/is the objective? Don't try to answer the latter because you cannot.

I do not think we can have a discussion about Afghanistan until you get up to speed.

Start here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_war_by_the_United_States

Good night. :hi: