political views

[lamar hailey]

Political views
As we all know there is an election coming up that will have a massive affect on the next four years of our lives, and everyone is trying to decide who the best fit for them is.
I would like to look at a voter who already has his mind made up and what issue matters most to him, and the reasons he believes what he believes
Andrew Michael Vaughn is a freshman at San Antonio College and has been attending this college duel credit for almost three years before fully enrolling. He is nineteen, six feet tall and one hundred and fifty five pounds, with dirty blonde hair and a catchy smile. Andrew was home schooled his entire life until he began his college career here at SAC. It is his home school back ground that has help shape some of his conservative beliefs. He is an avid outdoorsman and likes going hunting, fishing, hiking, camping or anything that involves the outdoors. Andrew is a conservative and deeply passionate on his stances in the up coming election and has reasons for each of his beliefs that are not only true but very well supported. His convictions should give us all pause to let us consider whether or not our beliefs are as justified.
The issue that matters most to him is the war and the image this country will be projecting if we quit fighting now and give up. Andrew believes that we have been in this war long enough that pulling out now would only bring harm to Iraq and America, by showing the terrorists that we are getting tired of fight and will quit if pushed to it. Also, he has several friends in the military who say that if we pull out now it would be a waste of all the lives that have been lost and they would have died in vain, which really made me stop and think about how true that was and how that would affect me if a friend of mine died for nothing. How would that make you feel if your friend was sent off to war and died for his country only to have them end the war early because politicians decided it was no longer worth it? It is a good point and one that must be considered when making a decision about this issue. For us to decide that it was too much for this country and quit? I mean really what are we saying about this country if we stop the fighting now? That we will quit if pushed beyond our comfort zone? This is something he stressed to me, getting red in the face as he tried to convey his feelings about not finishing what we had started These are his points and all of them made me stop and think if I had put as much thought into why I was voting for who I am voting for
He is voting for Senator John McCain because of where he stands on the war and his belief that we should stay in Iraq until the job is completely finished, and the Iraqi people can defend themselves. “John McCain believes it is strategically and morally essential for the United States to support the Government of Iraq to become capable of governing itself and safeguarding its people. He strongly disagrees with those who advocate withdrawing American troops before that has occurred.” This is off the official John McCain and Sarah Palin website http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/ and it supports what Andrew says and why he is voting for McCain.
It also shows how McCain’s plan has already been used in the Bush administration to paraphrase it “When we tried to pull out in 2006 we nearly lost the war, sectarian violence escalated and Al Qaeda was on the offensive and entire provinces were under terrorist control and seemed all but lost. But John McCain supported sending reinforcements in. That is what we did and it paid off! From June 2007 to March 2008 sectarian and ethnic violence in Iraq, was reduced by ninety percent, and civilian deaths and deaths of coalition forces dropped by seventy percent.” This quote also from the website and further shows why Andrew thinks McCain will do what he feels is most important during his time in the election.
Ok now that we have heard one American’s belief’s and reasons behind his beliefs I hope it gives us all pause to stop and think what really matters to us? And will encourage us to do some serious soul searching until we find that one topic that really means the most to us, and gives us motivation to go find what candidate will what is right for us and this country.

[Laurie Lopez Coleman]

Iamar,
Thank you for your contribution to the discussion. The wars in Iraq and in Afganistan have changed the lives of so many Americans, no doubt. How many times have we heard newsreports about our soldiers' sacrificing with life and limb to defend their duty to our country. I commend them for their willingness to serve and defend. But, what they are defending has always puzzled me. Why do many in our current administration feel that defending our country means taking offensive positions in foreign countries? Can't we defend our country through diplomacy and goodwill? It seems to me that inserting our armed military forces in foreign countries exacerbates already hostile attitudes toward America as a superpower that weilds its might with such arrogance.

[Alesia]

I recently have gotten out of the military and I do not support John McCain. I think keeping troops in Iraq is a waste of lives and a waste of money. I inderstand that many people thnk that if we were to pull out that the soldiers whos lives were lost would be in vein but why more lives have to be lost. My husband went to Iraq back in 2003 and 5 years later hes going back why?? The money that we are spending wach day in Iraq could be uses in better ways, like helping out the economy. It kills me that we are spending billions of dollars a month over in Iraq. Supposly we have been training the Iraq people so they can take over and defend themselves,so have we or have we not? Why will they fight for themselves if we are over their doing it for them. Spending our money over there while they are saving money.