My Opinion

I am so anti-war, it kills me to hear the news. They go on and on about how dangerous Iran is. This is the same line we heard and reason for going to war with Iraq.

I wish the President did not have war powers.

As far as brains and dignity go--Obama reminds me of Jimmy Carter. Neither man is corrupt enough to acheive their ends.

I am not making myself clear here.
Obama has worked very hard. I voted for him and will do so again.
He is, however, unfamiliar with politics and thus unable to get what he wants.
Bill Clinton was able to somehow get things done in spite of scandal lying and
you remember.
Obama is a great professor--cool , calm and very collected. I am not sure that the country is ready for him. He is obviously far ahead of his detractors. The rich will need to lose their wealth and position and be without before they can appreciate his goals.
Right now they see him as an enemy--very sad situation.
Maybe this country will need to totally collapse before it can move ahead..
We don't seem to be exactly quick learners.

An all volunteer military makes the war very distant - very numerical - very impersonal. Those who volunteer are not from the wealthier classes in general, though a few are. Mostly they entered the service because there are no other jobs, it is a route to an education, they felt patriotic, it ran in their family. The new military lacks officers from prestigious colleges which they had in the past, so they are even less connected to the elite.

Plan a war? Well, let's take a look a the numbers. Let's send in 10,000 more; let's send them back for their third active duty tour; while the rest of us go on a cruise or a ski vacation or spend holidays surrounded by family.

I do think more women in government, so that there would be a diversity of women and not just those who made it by imitating the behavior of men, would make war planning more humane.

A war needs to impact everyone. Those who don't fight should pay. Taxes should go up until it is paid for--no borrowing for wars.

You are right about that~ When a country is at war - the country is at war - not just the soldiers. The nation needs to feel the war - in a personal way, even if it's only financial.

It has been said, and these are not my words or predictions, that America will not understand war until it happens on their soil. Past wars, i.e., the Civil War, is so far distant that today's citizens have no clue about the hardship. Recent wars were "over there" - on foreign soil. When one has lived during a war, or been associated with people who lived during war time, they have a better understanding of the suffering involved. It is not just experiencing the death of loved ones, but hunger. Hunger is a daily reality in some countries today we call famine. Food not being available forces people to do things they would never imagine doing. Theft is not theft when it comes to survival. You will steal to keep your family alive. Morality won't keep you alive.
Those who are most strongly opposed to war are those who understand the consequences. Reading about it isn't the same thing.
Defense to protect lives is expected and right. Defense to protect ideology is not the same thing. Assuming that other people will do the right thing is folly.
Consider a red light "no walk" and the light turns green. Without looking for both ways for traffic that may not have heeded their light, you begin to cross the street and are hit by a car. You may have been in the right, but you are now dead right.
Vote against war. There are always alternatives if they are sought. Compromise may be needed. Using force may have temporary results, but doen't solve issues long-term. History records this. People who have been wronged will seek retribution. Revenge against injustice can be expected, and so it is within our own society.