Wow, what a dilemma.

Although we have had our differences on our forums regarding politics, war, and the upcoming election, this has been nagging me inside my head for quite awhile.

What would you do if you were a member of your nation's military force and you were commanded to fire upon (and kill) the very countrymen that you had grown up with?

What would you do and how would you react? This is a purely rhetorical question and I really don't expect a public answer.

I'm not mentioning this to incite an opinion one way or another. I'm just thinking of the incredible difficulty that must have faced both sides during our American civil war, still the bloodiest this nation has ever endured.

Without commenting one way or another, it's gotta be goddamn difficult to be ordered to shoot your own countrymen. I simply cannot imagine shooting my own Alaska Native people for any reason whatsoever.

You have been watching to much "24"! Was a great episode though.

I've thought about the same thing since the Iraqi "army" laid down arms in Fallujah. The conclusion I keep coming to is that it's tough to draw parallels across societies.

There are 3 distinct cultural divides in Iraq, and for the most part they all hate each other vehemently. Within these groups, there are about a dozen other clans/gangs with their own player vs player dynamic going on. These people have been killing their countrymen for decades.

But yeah, it's hard to imagine what would happen if NJ went to war with Delaware (other than the fact that NJ would kick Deleware's ASS!!!) ;)

A more realistic question would be - what would you do if a violent islamic (or other racial/religious group upgrising) occured in the US and you were called upon to defend or retake your town?

That I don't have a problem with. I was mainly pondering things with a BAC of about .13 and it occurred to me how tough it would be to, say, be called upon to retake my hometown. I don't know what I would do.

I also wonder how our National Guardsmen felt at Kent State, since as a soldier, your loyalty is not sworn to your commander, but to the Constitution.

Seems to me that the instant they start firing at me (or otherwise attacking with an intent to harm) my resolve would be ratcheted up a notch or two.

Yeah, I've always figured that you've forfeited your right to your own life at the instant you try to take mine.