With recent polls showing overwhelming opposition to the war in Afghanistan among the American public (which by and large is only vaguely aware the war in Iraq is still going on), the Obama Administration continues to insist the war is going to continue for a “long time.”
But it isn’t just the public, which is being taxed to fund these wars, which is getting sick of them. A new Pew poll shows growing opposition to the conflicts among veterans of those conflicts, with a majority now saying the wars haven’t been worth the cost.
With Pew’s most recent poll showing 28 percent of the general public feeling the wars were “worth it,” the eye-opening new poll shows that even the vets bombarded with constant claims that they’re doing something incredibly important aren’t buying it, with only 34 percent of them feeling the wars were worth it.
The poll showed troops have had a much more difficult time adjusting back into civilian life than in previous wars, and that 37 percent of them have suffered some post-traumatic stress. 10 years into the war in Afghanistan and officials openly talking of at least another 13 to go, a life of endless conflict for illusory “progress” and an ill-defined victory is clearly getting old.
they don't care if they have to have an all foreigner, all robot army to maintain this Empire, which is fast becoming a bankrupt joke.
The foreginers will be promised citizenship, the robots will get a heart and sentient intelligence.
Who cares what the American people think? Not Bush, not Obama and certainly not the Pentagon…it is increasingly obvious that they are in control, since they don't even care what the civilian leadership has to say.
This generation of selfish babyboomers are dismantling all the things that made this country great and replacing them with bland platitudes and cheap Chinese goods.
They clearly are the worst, the most selfish sellouts, the biggest coporate whores this country has ever produced.
We should thin their ranks out by sending them to combat
I don't like to steriotype any group. However, there is something to be said about your comment on the baby boomers. I think it has a lot to do with the "every other generation" thing. Thier parents helped build our nation and they wanted their children to live a life without the pain they went through. So a lot of baby boomers were spoiled. If they wanted a job it was there, if they wanted a house, no problem, etc etc. On the other hand they didn't want to spoil their children so many of them believed in tough love.
Also many of them did go to Vietnam but of course most didn't. So there is this goofy thing going on there too, guilt I suppose.
Politicians,s children are not fighting and the normal people they don,t care.
It is late but not too late to leave Irak, afghanistan and Pakistan. If you give a drop of money used in war to these destroyed countries by american s is worth.
Peace is for every one and war is only for previledged.
America has desroyed their own nation through lies arroganz, hegemony and an imajinary enemy.
The generals & their civilian overseers (read: minions) have driven 2 Presidents down Occupation Road; evidently determined to re-live those heady post-WWII days in Japan & Europe as a sorta fantasy boot camp.
What frosts my kahoonies, tho, is that nobody’s ever punished for draining the country of talent & youth: early out, early retirement, book deals, & cable consultant; this is what passes for punishing treason in early 21st-cent. America.
If no one thinks that either war is worthwhile where are the protests? A hundred thousand vets marching on the White House and throwing their uniforms and medals on the lawn might wake President Obama from his war dreams.
Our vets are no fools. Even as they were risking their lives fighting for the United States, (according to our "leaders"), those same "leaders" were at home suborning the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, outsourcing the jobs they would no longer be able to come home to and letting the few jobs that remained by taken by people who'd illegally invaded from across the border.
Of course it wasn't worth it.
Ah..a couple of interesting comments above. The "baby boomer" comment feels right when examined more closely. Being one, I was at first pushing back a little, but in retrospect (and 10+ years in the Army and a tour in Nam) I admit the colorization.
Regarding the articles emphasis, I find it encouraging that the veneer of Patriotism seems to be peeling back a little.
With only 34% of the military believing that the wars have been worth it tells me that the lack of clear direction and the promise that, if they remain in the military which many of them will due to a worsening jobs market on the outside, they can count on many, many return trips to places they are not wanted. How many even semi-intelligent people would feel good about that? The fact that there doesn't seem to be a plan to win – or exit – is probably more obvious to the military members than to the gullibles back here in the "Homeland." The Americans who are not having to "sacrifice" by participating in these little adventures abroad have been pretty much kept in the dark or intentionally misled by the USG and the FCM to believe 1. that there is a plan and 2. that things are going according to the desires of the USG and the generals.
News flash!! There is no plan to win, there is no plan to exit, and things are NOT going swimmingly.
The fact that "a whopping 84% of the vets believe the rest of America has little or no understanding of the problems faced by the military" is irrelevant because the military members ALWAYS believe that the "civvies" NEVER understand what they are going through. Standard fare. Red herring.
The Iraqi War – a LIE by the Zionist-Neocons in the Bush Administration – all fought to destroy an enemy of Israel.
The Afghan War – a LIE by the Zionist-Neocons – fought for Big Oil – to build a gas pipeline through that country.
The Vietnam War – a LIE by Johnson and McNamara – fought why?
In the American Civil War – many generals were killed and it was viewed as 'good' by the troops and even by Lee. Now – the desk jockey generals stay far behind from the front – and the 'chicken hawks' who never served in the military find it easy to send others off to their wars.