Should we be worried about a Pro Football player over the 700+ others

who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Is he MORE valuable? I don't think so....

Don't fall for the b.s. people. This is a DISTRACTION from the abuse scandal and other important issues. I know in many people's worlds a football player is of the utmost importance - but not in MY book.

What sacrifice exactly are we honoring him for? Money. He sacrificed the money of the NFL, and that is the only thing that makes him different from our other troops. It's kind of telling about our society when sacrificing money makes one a hero, but sacrificing one's family does not. :eyes:

On edit: I am in no way belittling Tillman. I'm just pissed we don't honor ALL our troops in the same way.

behind children and who didn't HAVE a choice. Or, for the many doctors, nurses, and journalists that went over there - those who did something good for our society and didn't earn millions for playing a violent game. Those are MY heros. There have been a lot more of them who have been killed over there and these are people who are a really big loss to our society.

He was duped into the mission; He died with honor, but since he fell for the lies that were the Iraq war he is nothing more than an honorable sucker.

one that may make you unconfortable

After 9.11 I went to the AF recruiter, they were willing to excuse most discualifiers... until they found out that my hubby was a USN Chief, and he was deployed... due to many reasons they could not have an officer and an enlisted man in the service.

So I asked out of curiousity, now many others showed up...

What I was told was shocking... most who showed up were no longer qualified to serve, due to age... hell even a B-17 WW II pilot showed up. They, in fact, got very few kids show up. Oh and those of us who showed up, were no fools, or full of natioanlistic, jingoistic pride. We had seen the old lie up close and personal, Dulce et Decorum est, pro patria mori.

Now compare this to December 8th, 1941.

The nation was still reeling from the shock of that sneak attack in that very distant Naval Base in the middle of the Pacific. Yet the Armed Services had to turn people away, as they did not have enough uniforms, or forms to process the sudden influx of volunteers.

This tells me something about this country which is not nice, Most who are war boosters, would rather prefer others do the fighting and the dying, while they applaud. (now reality is the country had been attacked and the response was shockingly slow)

Should we pay attention to Tillman? Only in one respect, he is one of the few men and women (relaively few given the enormity of what happened on Sept 11), to step into the breach... and in that sense he has to be honored with the other 730 troops that have made that ultimate sacrifice in Iraq, and over 100 in Afghanistan (which for the record was a necessary war, not a war of choice, unlike Iraq) Yes he is being used to a point, because most people have heard of him... yes even me, saw his only interview after 9.11, and I care for organized sports as most people care for hemorrhoids.

Now here is HOW you honor the war dead... YOU question those who have sent them into harms way, on the wings of a lie, little equipment and shody training. And yes, you may even use Sergeant Tillman, as well as the rest of the war dead.

And yes I do hope this makes you uncomfortable...

unlike the neocons and the freepers and the college republicans who are all gung-ho about war but don't want to have to make a single sacrifice, especially of their own precious valuable time or life...

I even read one republican saying that her priority was getting and education and so she shouldn't have to serve; let those poor slobs whose priority is not education go off and fight...

never mind my car has a DoD sticker on it.

they said that they should not be bothered

I challenged them, and this is AFTER September 11....

The I have other priorities answer came up repeteadly....

Realize this is the FIRST WAR in History where a tax cut was
implemented. For most of the population, except those with family
in the service, this has been a sacrifice free war. This starts
at the top... and trickles to the bottom.

So lets honor our Fallen, that includes Mark Tillman...

in the soccer field in Fallujah.

The only thing I have beef with is, Pat Tillman was not the only person to die. No knock against what Pat Tillman did. Because, he gave up a lot of money! I commend him and thank him very much for doing what he did. But, I have beef with the way all of the other service men and women who were killed in the line of duty, and are given their proper respects almost in secrecy. I know other soldiers didn't turn down millions of dollars. But, they did give up something that they had in common with Pat Tillman. That is family. I believe these other troops should get their recognition for making the ultimate sacrifice. Their lives!

we need to let them rest. Enough already!

He is the one who used him to make a cheap point in his strip.

but it's very common that when many people die, one or two become known to us and become the face of the tragedy.

We know almost 3000 people died on 9/11/01, but most of us could only name Barbara Olsen, Todd Beamer and maybe a few of the husbands of the "Jersey Girls". That's not to diminish the loss of all the others - it's just the natural reality of cases like this.

discuss patt tillman here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1527625