Kerostasis

Well, yes and no. Most of the laws I've seen don't actually try to explain what is intended, they just detail the process of accomplishing that intent. If you want to understand the original intent you have to read between the lines.

It would take a lot less space if they simply explained the intent, but intent always leaves room for interpretation. To eliminate that "wiggle room" for interpretation, the laws usually skip intent and go right to execution. Thats what makes them seem so incomprehensible to average citizens sometimes.

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FatCobra

Hamburgler, how can you say that you don't consider any nation a terrorist nation when several countries openly endorse terrorist groups and give them millions of dollars each year to fund them? For Example: Iran funding Hezbollah to attack Israel.

CingularDuality

Well, right. Intent isn't explained because intent is subjective. Laws are written objectively with an intent in mind. Their complexity is usually a result of attempting to accomplish that intent by using objective wording that is not very open to interpretation.

You mean what I know...

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Hambergler

I don't disagree with you. I just believe that it is too broad a brush stroke. Maybe we just have a simple disagreement about what terrorist means.

I would think that terrorists are supposed to operate independently and pledge no allegiance to any nation, other wise they would just be soldiers. So the moment a terrorist organization takes money from a country they are part of the military arm of that country and become solders of that nation. They are just independent contractors. The moment they stop taking money they are terrorists again.

I think the Bush administration is milking the word terrorist to try to get every last bit of support out of it.

Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
Are are not responsible for the WTC. Al qaeda is. And since Afghanistan was supporting them they are at fault as well. All those other nations are unfairly grouped in because they are Muslim. The WTC bombers were Saudi, but that's a whole other story. I also think there is a cultural component that we don't understand. The US is unpopular in these nations and that leads to anti American sentiment. Just because they don't like us doesn't mean they are terrorists.

I think the relationships to these guerrilla groups is a lot more complicated. For instance we give money to the Fatah party that is part of the PLO which is labeled a terrorist organization. Ever since Hamas won the election Fatah has become our ally. And the terrorist label has been dropped. Another two instances that come to mind of America funding terrorist or guerrilla groups are the Contras in Nicaragua and the mujahideen during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Are we a "terrorist nation" for supporting those organizations? Or is anyone fighting in the name of democracy automatically justified in whatever actions they take? One mans freedom fighter is another mans terrorist.

Just my .02

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mentholated

First off, my belief is that if you support a legitimate war, then you should serve. Serving in the military isn't a prerequisite to being a patriotic american. Sometimes not serving in a war that you believe is injust is more patriotic than serving blindly to support your country.

However, this particular war is a bit different, and I don't mean the Iraq setting specifically because the Iraq war was merely intended to establish a long term military presence in the middle east. This particular war has no defined enemy, the enemy is actually an idea. The charade that it (the war on "terrorism") is merely intended to combat Islamic extremism is false, because that particular demographic has only been targeted a small percentage of the time. As we can see in the US now, the threat of terrorism either domestic or foreign has effectively turned this country along with many others.. germany, and the UK in particular, into police states. Whether that was a goal of the war or just a side effect of it is debatable, but it is a fact. Some areas of the US have it better than others, but this will change soon.

I don't understand how blind support of your country justifies allowing what has happened to it thus far.

This war is unlike any other war waged in the history of mankind, simply because in all other wars there was a predefined enemy. We have none here. So because of that, anyone can be labeled the enemy. Even you.

dfg872

Supporting the troops doesn't make me want to serve. Ironically, two of my friends tried to serve after college, and both were turned down for potential heart problems. One of them was a marathon runner...I always found it amusing. Anyhow, I serve in my own way... I pay taxes, without which, there would be no troops.

I also volunteer on the homefront, helping with communications for fighting local wildfires here in california. Honestly, I don't think that I could be better utilized in the military.

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leejo

That's not irony!!!

j2k

I don't see why you cant support the troops without supporting the reason they were sent to fight...

TheBigC

I care less if people serve or choose not to, most are not cut out for it anyway. I also think that people can disagree with the war itself, debate is good and usually leads to some resolution.

But all I personally care about is that you all pay those taxes!! That is what puts food on my family’s table.

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Atomic Dog

My taxes sustains you and your family?!?!?! I need a better accountant.

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NewsWrthy

OK, I feel I need to add my 2 cents worth here. Please don't be offended this is not meant to demean any of you guys, but I earned my Combat Infantry Badge before many of you born. I wasn't the "type" either. What I was, Was a poor farm kid from the Appalachians with very few choices and not way out. They Made ME the right type. I excelled, I overcame and I became every thing my country needed me to be.That said, the choice to join or not is a personal choice that should not be cause for ridicule. Each lives with his choices.n I have through the years suffered a few sleepless nights because of the things I have seen and done. I would hope for a world where none of you young men would ever have to go through that. We don't live in that world. We live in a world where collage students are slautered in the square for protesting against there government, Where the sons of corrupt leaders can pull women off the streets and rape and kill them with out punishment of any kind. where women have no human rights because the are considered less than human. Instead of pointing to those who don't join try pointing at those who do. Point at them and say there goes a real hero. Any man will defend his home or self, It takes a real hero to leave every thing he loves to defend the life, liberty, and Home of another. In Pennsylvania over 10,000 men died in four days to decide if liberty was for all men or just a select few. Liberty is a birth right of every human on this planet. As free people we have a duty to lend aid to any one in bondage. politics aside liberty is not a party or type of government. Communism, Democracy, Constitutional Monarcy. If you can't protest,if have no redress of grievences,If you have no right to speak out. Then who do you turn too. You are your brothers keeper. every soldier we loose is one less child who will ever know tyrany. Lay your anger where it belongs on the sholders of those who would deny liberty to all people.

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