The greatest living American is any soldier in the military, the put their lives on the line to defend their country. They fight and die for people like those in the Westboro Baptist Church who have signs that say "thank God for IEDs." They defend the rights and freedom of everyone in America regardless of their beliefs or political views. Over 1.3 million Americans have died for this country and anyone that is willing to follow in their footsteps are the greatest living Americans

Larry David is the greatest living American. He's an absolute Genius!

Even the ones that were assigned to Abu Graib(sp?)? What all of the ones that have been court martialed for murdering civilians? There seems to be something systemically wrong with the American GIs of Generation X. They don’t become heroes simply by putting on a serviceman’s uniform.

When they put on the uniform that means that they are willing to die for their country. The terrorists that were "tortured" would have done a lot worse had they been the guards. When an American Soldier kills a civilain it was probably because the terrorists were using them a cover.

So naive it hurts, man.

Your self gratifying platitude doesn't even fit this debate because the question is in the singular, so name a specific soldier if you have to wank off over the military. Just because you are in the military doesn't give you a pass in American society to always = good. By doing so you you help perpetuate this cult of the military where people think our soldiers can do no wrong and that is just not reality. Read "War is a Racket" by Gen. Smedley Butler if you want to know what war is really about. In fact, just read a book, it will help.

Jon Stewart is this generation's Mark Twain. If it's true that the toughest truths can be revealed in humor, there's simply nobody out there that can do what he does as well as he does - hold us all and our most ridiculous behaviors up to light for public exposure.

Actually, the ACLU defends the right of Westboro Baptist to say "thank God for IEDs." Soldiers simply take place in misguided military intervention at the orders of the US government. We haven't "defended our freedom" since 1812. Every military conflict after that has been intervening in the affairs of other nations, not "protecting the freedom" of our own.

How is our invasion in Nicaragua or Haiti, attempting to overthrow a democratically elected government, "defending our freedom"? Our invasion into Iraq was an act of aggression. There is no link between 9/11 and Iraq. We attacked first, violating international law.

The Civil War was a war that kept the country together, that war freed the slaves. World War II the US was attacked by Japan. Are saying that the US should have let japan get away with Pearl Harbor, or the US to let the Confederates get away with the attack on Fort Sumter, and not keep the country together in a war that freed the slaves? Those two wars were in defense of the freedom of not only America but the World as well.

The Civil War was about a State's right to a slave, not about Slavery. There was no reason Lincoln couldn't have said "Alright, you're a sovereign nation, have fun." This also has nothing to do with defending our freedoms from an outside force, which is what it seemed the debate was about.

WWII is arguable, but Japan was never "taking our freedoms", they simply wanted uninhibited expansion of Oceania and saw Pearl Harbor as a threat.

Regardless, both of those conflicts occured 50+ years ago, and every conflict since has been undoubtedly interventionalism, not defense (which you never responded to).

Your proof that only terrorists have been tortured is what?

And what happens if someone declares that you are a terrorists and turtures you by your own standards of human decency and justice?

And didn’t Timothy McVeigh also put on the uniform with a willingness to die for his country?

I don't think WWII is arguable at all, Japan not only attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor and launched an assault on Alaska. You can't say that they didn't want to take at least a part of the United States.

As for interventionalism, I think I agree with you. I'm not for it. I'd like to see what happens if the United States would just worry about itself and not get involved in every little thing that happens. Although it may turn into a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, but who knows, I'd like to see.

Those who fight for our country, simple enough. I've noticed arguments saying "what about abu graib or the murderers?"... well, exclude them, then.

But all the other guys, who joined to serve their country, they are the greatest living Americans.

It's apparent that some people just don't like our troops. hmm I wonder which wing they are on. (;

"There was no reason Lincoln couldn't have said 'Alright, you're a sovereign nation, have fun.'"

You mean other than his constitutional obligation to enforce federal law? The union of the United States coincided with independence (the states declared independence from Britain as a group; no state declared independence solely on its own) and predated the establishment of the federal government (by ratifying the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union). No state has any right to ignore or violate federal law or secede from the Union, Texas v. White.

“Those who fight for our country, simple enough. I've noticed arguments saying ‘what about abu graib or the murderers?’... well, exclude them, then.”

But what percentage of GIs in Iraq have committed crimes while there? Is it a higher or lower percentage that it was in previous combat deployments? I know of only 2 incidences in which GIs killed anyone in cold blood during World War II- once in retaliation for what the Germans did at Malmedy during the Battle of the Bulge and then when GIs found SS troops hiding among the liberated inmates at Dachau. I know of only one crime committed by GIs in Vietnam, Mai Lai(sp?). But crimes committed by U.S. troops in Iraq seem to almost be weekly news.

Weekly news? Please, show me all of these articles then.

The fact is, Vietnam and WW2 consisted of many murders and rapes. But, back then it was covered up a lot more. The media didn't have much access back then as they do now. And now any little incident is immediately blamed on the troops. Plus, unlike back then, al-Jazeera is used often by the media to attack the troops.

And, the Civil War consisted of many rapes and murders as well.