Just because I think many (not all) Army members have no brain and have gangster mentality doesnt mean I dont appreciate them.
And as far as I know John Kerry was drafted.
A lot of us were!!
Sorry Joe, Thanks for your service but neither you nor anyone else who serves this this country GIVES freedom to it’s citizens. Freedom belongs to Americans and indeed all mankind by natural right or gift from God depending on your frame of reference. A serviceperson may die in defense of freedom but the giving and taking runs afoul of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The American public through it’s Congress controls the service, the service exerts no control whatsoever over Americans or their rights. If service personel are beginning to think otherwise perhaps Jankren has a point, but the blame falls not on the service person but on the lack of Congressional (and therefore public) oversight.
A Court may deprive an individual of her/his rights in very narrow circumstances that usually involve criminal acts, but not citizenry in general. The Court system is far removed from the military. Note that the military even has it’s own justice system because of this separation.
A true man of wisdom speaks.
For the record, I just moments ago had a nice conversation with a very polite young Marine on leave from Afghanistan. When I mentioned that I appreciated his service, he told be that he felt that the Afghani people were some of the best hearted people he had ever met and that he felt it was a privilege to be serving there. I would also note that his neck was freshly covered in hickeys…no pheromones needed. 
Joenaz, I appreciate your service. My heart goes out to all our proud servicemen who have sacrificed their time, their efforts, and even their lives for our nation.
I think I understand you to be saying that this liberty we enjoy would not have been preserved, except by the heroic and relentless efforts of those brave men and women who put their lives on the line.
I agree. Freedom is not free, it is very costly.
However, that freedom is not a privilege that is extended or withdrawn by another human being.
Thank you renny for what you said. There is not enough real knowledge out there about what our Charters of Freedom say and mean.
The Declaration of Independence states:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
in short, this means that those rights are granted to you by a Supreme Being who created you, and cannot be revoked or removed by another human being.
The Preamble to the Constitution states:
“We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
just another reference to the fact that our liberty is a blessing, endowed to us by God.
The unfortunate truth is that we as a people have acted like ignorant sheep. We have elected to represent us people who do not have our own beliefs and values, and the power of the Constitution has been eroded and undermined.
Our government has way too much power and control over the people. And most of us do not care, or are too wrapped up in ourselves to even notice.
God bless Obama our Savior!
Lolz,
Anyway, yeah the American people in general, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are what ensure the freedom in America.
I mean even North Korea has an army and ironically they are the reason why they dont have freedom.