We are, of course, amazed that our readers occasionally disagree with our brilliant and witty essays. In fact, sometimes quite a few readers think that The Outrage editors are wrong, misanthropic, idiotic, selfish, deluded, or all of the above.

Mother Outrage always told us that even the dull and the ignorant should have their say, so we've allowed space below for those dissenting opinions (and for shameless flattery).

Just saw this page so the Bosnia thing is going into its 4 year..however, the Kosovo issue will be going on for eternity and the Great Perpertator who brought us into the stupid mess and his spineless representatives of our nation will hopefully be on their Chicken Ranches in Arkansas, of course it is very possible the whole bunch of self servers will have high positions in China in less than three years.

It has nothing to do with the military, it has to do withthe bonehead politicians whose orders they are forced to follow.

The military has no need to be the international police. F#$k the rest of the world. Let's close our borders, recall all our people, and say the hell with the rest of the world. If they (the world) has a problem with that, then we would solve the problem with bombs from the sky, not foot soldiers. To hell with the rest of the world. Yeah, we my be led by a bunch of fascists fools, however, we're the ones that put them there. Let's show the world that fascism does work!!!!

During my 24 years of active duty as a naval officer and aviator (A-6 Intruder carrier-based attack), I spent time in Viet Nam (68-70); off North Korea after a NK shoot-down and a NK snatch (USS PUEBLO); in the Gulf of Sidra trolling for (and being shot at by) Libyans; off the coast of Israel during one of the many conflicts there; in the Persian Gulf during and after the embassy take-over in Tehran; and in assorted other places where US political decisions brought the carrier forces.

Oddly enough, the only time that I ASKED to be put in a place like that -- in 1972, when we got serious about the air war over Viet Nam -- I was advised that change-of-station funds were short and that I could participate only if I moved myself 2000+ miles from Pensacola (Florida) instructor duty to NAS Whidbey Island (Washington State) combat duty. I declined with thanks.

I have no doubt that the US forces in general, and those on the ground in Bosnia in particular, could get pretty fierce IF THE POLITICAL WILL TO DO SO was there. It isn't, and perhaps it shouldn't be . . . personally, I think the only way to keep the Serbs, etc., from one anothers' throats is to hold a knife to those throats -- forever. We aren't going to do that, though, and what will happen when we sheath the knife?

Don't "poodleize" the troops; they'll do what they are ordered to do, and do it well. But I suggest that you should damn well KNOW what you want, and what you're getting in to, before you start ordering them to do anything. Protect people in a hotel? hell, yes! But what are you going to say when the inevitable happens, and an opposing "civilian" gets killed, particularly if that civilian happens to be the "wrong" age or gender?

The old saying -- be careful of your wishes, for they may come to pass -- holds a lot of truth.

A dog, be it a poodle or whatever, is domesticated, trained and responsive to a master. Abandoned or left to it's own devices it quickly reverts to it's natural state as an effective hunter/killer. While I might agree with your opinion of our presence in Bosnia, as a member of the military I of course resent the implication that we are timid poodles. It's not that we couldn't accomplish any of the tasks you described such as dispursing a crowd of rock throwing citizens or protecting 17 American civilliians; it's that we are not allowed to use the weapons, skills and technology that we possess because we are trained to respond to the commands of our masters...the politicians, who it seems consider us a sort of peace corps with rifles. I'm sorry you feel the U.S. military is too big...maybe if you spent 6 months to a year away from your family on a regular basis attempting to support missions that do not have clearcut military objectives and were paid what we're paid to do that, you'd place the blame where it belongs...with the policy makers that send us. Nobody asks us where or if we want to go, but everybody tells us what to do once we get there.