this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2025
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[–] ShoeThrower@lemmy.zip 6 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, that's why they're pointing guns at them. They're really sorry though, so it's okay.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 7 points 9 hours ago (3 children)

Fuck you. I was one of those soldiers and I'd like to think that some of the hundreds of raped and murdered university of Baghdad students would like a word with you. The amount of young women's bodies we dredged out of Z lake...

I get it. They/we whatever, aren't the good guys as long as they're taking orders from bad guys, but there are people who would be teetering on the edge, who want to do the right thing. Maybe not enough to cancel itself out, but certainly enough to hinder itself enough to get a jump on things to make things truly equal.

[–] ShoeThrower@lemmy.zip 7 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Ok?

The US Military didn't decide to invade Iraq because they wanted to do good deeds, but that doesn't mean you didn't also aid some people along the way. The US Forces invaded over lies and caused mass death and destruction in exchange for political power and money. It wasn't a war for a good cause, and lead to increased extremism in the Middle East.

Back to the original topic: I generally agree, but am only pessimistic about their numbers and ability to actually resist.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 6 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

You're not wrong. I'm not saying it was a justifiable conflict by any means. But many of us were given orders to go to a place in support of something we didn't agree with. The difference between that and firing on us civilians is huge. From my personal experience, I say you have far more to worry about from police/troopers than any military force.

[–] ShoeThrower@lemmy.zip 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

OK, but put simply, police forces exist to enforce laws, military forces exist to kill enemies. This is why there are laws to prevent military forces from being deployed domestically. Their jobs are very different, and neither is truly qualified to do the job of the other.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 7 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

People who join the military do so for far more altruistic (even if unfounded) reasons than cops do. You should be far more afraid of cops than the military.

Edit: also in my experience talking with cops while I was in uniform, a lot of them became cops because they couldn't join the military for one reason or another.

[–] LeninOnAPrayer@lemm.ee 1 points 1 hour ago

The difference between killing and oppressing innocent people in a foreign country and innocent people in America is only "huge" if you don't see the former group of people as human beings.

[–] cows_are_underrated@feddit.org 6 points 9 hours ago

Its always important to differentiate between the individual policeman and the institution of the police, when criticising. It is absolutely necessary that people step up for the safety of everyone and protect them (which is what the police is supposed to do/does). The problem is, that since the police has the monopoly to excerpt violence and this monopoly is controlled by the state it is a tool for those in power to preserve their power and demolish resistance.

This is alsobwhy I dont really like slogans like ACAB, since it sets the policeman who probably has very good intentions and does great work on the same level of "ceiticising" something" than the flaws that police sadly has.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io -1 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

The amount of young women's bodies we dredged out of Z lake...

K. Literally just, k. That doesn't justify anything and you know that, so why bring it up?

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 10 points 7 hours ago

Well the guys that were doing it aren't exactly doing it anymore. The point was that although the reasons for going there were bullshit, some good was done. I personally delivered dozens of loads of school supplies to schools built by the army. These weren't replacements for bombed schools, they were new ones in rural areas where schools didn't exist.

I know. I know. That's no excuse for any of what happened, obviously. I'm just saying not everyone that raises their arm for the oath is a monster, and many join with good intent. Cops on the other hand...