![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gelbes_gilatierToday, four German soldiers were killed near Baghlan in Afghanistan and the media released the news a few hours ago. While I was checking Twitter for more info on it, I came across a tweet from my former local party organisation's press representative, stating that tomorrow there would be protests during a welcome home muster for soldiers returning from their deployment to Afghanistan. It's going to be the same unit that lost soldiers last year in September (remember, losing soldiers in Afghanistan is still a major event, and we're only now starting to realize what it means to be at war - the country is still reeling from the shock of what happened on Good Friday).
So... while I do support and strongly advocate the right to protest against the state... I do not think it's a good idea to go rallying tomorrow of all days because we don't even know where the soldiers that were killed are from (it could very well be the unit that's holding the muster since it's an infantry unit) and because I think that it's hard enough for the soldiers to come back from a deployment and having to hear that fellow soldiers died back in Afghanistan... they really don't need people shouting and telling them they think their fellow soldiers died for nothing and that their effort is useless and wholly unappreciated.
Of course dead soldiers are a very good reason to protest against involvement in a war and you could say "We need to protest now more than ever." but the thing is... I know the mindset of the people who will be protesting there. I know they're not there because they value the lives of the soldiers enough that they want them to come back so there won't be killed more of them. To them, dead soldiers are just people who chose the wrong career path (because, you know, no one actually forced them to go there so they must be all there voluntarily so they're all trigger happy maniacs and sociopaths... perfectly logical, isn't it?) and paid for it.
It's not like they don't care about people... they just don't care about everyone involved. They are just as choosy about the people they care about as the people they oppose (or as they think the people they oppose think). They claim to be on the side of the victims but if that were true... they'd also be on the side of the soldiers. Face it, people, in war everyone's a victim; neither only the soldiers nor only the civilians. As long as you are chosing one over the other and trying to find reasons why one deserves sympathy and the other doesn't, you're doing it wrong and that's why I'm starting to get pissed about this new trend of crashing welcome back musters.
Crashing Open Doors Days, I get. Protesting against recruting in schools, I understand. Crashing swearing in ceremonies... borderline (since I would have hated anyone to do that on my swearing in ceremony because dammit, getting there is very hard work) but yeah, if it has to be (also, it's almost kind of a good old tradition, ever since the Bundeswehr was founded)... But welcome back musters? No, dammit. That's wrong. It's not about celebrating them as heroes... it's just about giving them a welcome and show them that they and their efforts are appreciated (which they aren't... instead they earn either "friendly desinterest" or open disdain from the majority of the populace... yes, it's that bad). Why crash that? Why give people that just came back from a war that kind of hassle? I don't get it... maybe one of you can explain to me?
On a wholly unrelated note: OMG LEVERAGE SQUEE! All of you were right! Leverage is like... really, really cool. I'm currently watching S01E02 and I'm already in love with the high tech toys and Eliot and Parker (and kinda Eliot/Parker... what? I'm really fast with shipping...) and Hardison and Sophie and Nate (and a little bit Sophie/Nate... I'm not quite sold on it yet). Oh, and explosions! That's really all I need. Yay Leverage!
Also... finished watching EUReKA's Season 3 and... I DON'T WANT TESS TO GO! Tess can't go and let us all plunge back into Jack/Allison darkness! Jack/Allison doesn't make any sense at all. They don't fit and they don't even have real chemistry (they do work fine as friends but every time the writers try to steer them in a romantic direction it all goes poof)... it just doesn't work. Jack and Tess... clicked. Their sense of humor is compatible, the look cute together, when they fight the sparks fly... Also, Tess is awesome and would so deserve to be made a regular... don't take that away, please. Make it work, writers. PLEASE! (also, could someone please free me from that bothersome EUReKA/SGA crossover bunny involving both Tess and Cadman that keeps on bugging me? Seriously, if I ever start writing it you all should DUCK AND RUN!)
Oh, also... managed to kill my laptop's keyboard. Thank God for external keyboards and sisters' boyfriends' who happen to be IT geniuses (both hard- and software). 'Nuff said.
So... while I do support and strongly advocate the right to protest against the state... I do not think it's a good idea to go rallying tomorrow of all days because we don't even know where the soldiers that were killed are from (it could very well be the unit that's holding the muster since it's an infantry unit) and because I think that it's hard enough for the soldiers to come back from a deployment and having to hear that fellow soldiers died back in Afghanistan... they really don't need people shouting and telling them they think their fellow soldiers died for nothing and that their effort is useless and wholly unappreciated.
Of course dead soldiers are a very good reason to protest against involvement in a war and you could say "We need to protest now more than ever." but the thing is... I know the mindset of the people who will be protesting there. I know they're not there because they value the lives of the soldiers enough that they want them to come back so there won't be killed more of them. To them, dead soldiers are just people who chose the wrong career path (because, you know, no one actually forced them to go there so they must be all there voluntarily so they're all trigger happy maniacs and sociopaths... perfectly logical, isn't it?) and paid for it.
It's not like they don't care about people... they just don't care about everyone involved. They are just as choosy about the people they care about as the people they oppose (or as they think the people they oppose think). They claim to be on the side of the victims but if that were true... they'd also be on the side of the soldiers. Face it, people, in war everyone's a victim; neither only the soldiers nor only the civilians. As long as you are chosing one over the other and trying to find reasons why one deserves sympathy and the other doesn't, you're doing it wrong and that's why I'm starting to get pissed about this new trend of crashing welcome back musters.
Crashing Open Doors Days, I get. Protesting against recruting in schools, I understand. Crashing swearing in ceremonies... borderline (since I would have hated anyone to do that on my swearing in ceremony because dammit, getting there is very hard work) but yeah, if it has to be (also, it's almost kind of a good old tradition, ever since the Bundeswehr was founded)... But welcome back musters? No, dammit. That's wrong. It's not about celebrating them as heroes... it's just about giving them a welcome and show them that they and their efforts are appreciated (which they aren't... instead they earn either "friendly desinterest" or open disdain from the majority of the populace... yes, it's that bad). Why crash that? Why give people that just came back from a war that kind of hassle? I don't get it... maybe one of you can explain to me?
On a wholly unrelated note: OMG LEVERAGE SQUEE! All of you were right! Leverage is like... really, really cool. I'm currently watching S01E02 and I'm already in love with the high tech toys and Eliot and Parker (and kinda Eliot/Parker... what? I'm really fast with shipping...) and Hardison and Sophie and Nate (and a little bit Sophie/Nate... I'm not quite sold on it yet). Oh, and explosions! That's really all I need. Yay Leverage!
Also... finished watching EUReKA's Season 3 and... I DON'T WANT TESS TO GO! Tess can't go and let us all plunge back into Jack/Allison darkness! Jack/Allison doesn't make any sense at all. They don't fit and they don't even have real chemistry (they do work fine as friends but every time the writers try to steer them in a romantic direction it all goes poof)... it just doesn't work. Jack and Tess... clicked. Their sense of humor is compatible, the look cute together, when they fight the sparks fly... Also, Tess is awesome and would so deserve to be made a regular... don't take that away, please. Make it work, writers. PLEASE! (also, could someone please free me from that bothersome EUReKA/SGA crossover bunny involving both Tess and Cadman that keeps on bugging me? Seriously, if I ever start writing it you all should DUCK AND RUN!)
Oh, also... managed to kill my laptop's keyboard. Thank God for external keyboards and sisters' boyfriends' who happen to be IT geniuses (both hard- and software). 'Nuff said.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-04-16 12:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-16 09:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-18 08:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-16 01:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-16 09:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-16 04:28 am (UTC)Tess/Cadman bunnies need to multiply ASAP. I would love that.
For a good Eliot/Parker fic (not even a shipper of them and I liked it, check out "Nobody knows you're numbering days" http://community.livejournal.com/theborogoves/59148.html
I liked the bittersweet mood very much.
As to Leverage the show, I was lukewarm on it at first but became indifferent and canceled my season pass halfway through the first season. Watched a few episodes this season and again became indifferent about three episodes in.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-16 09:45 pm (UTC)Thanks for the fic rec. It was... intense and captured both of them amazingly well. You really do know the best stories :D
no subject
Date: 2010-06-11 04:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-16 04:29 am (UTC)IMHO- They crash the welcome home musters because there is usually a group of brass present. They figure if the brass is there, they will hear what the 'people' are saying and heed their demands. The crashers also don't realize what a stress being in a war is on those soldiers and that there are very real consequences even for those who come home uninjured.