Support Our Troops?
Not so much a blog entry as a random observation. So, apparently, conservatives feel that we liberals do not support the troops because of our anti-war stance. I, however, pose this question to them. What kind of support is it to approve of sending people into harm's way? I mean, we are trying to bring them home with minimal loss of life, whereas the proponents of the war (and supposed supporters of the troops) want them to be sent overseas where they can possibly die. Their logic astounds me.
posted by mrm1138 @ 7:27 AM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
I don't normally weigh in on any sort of political opinions, but my take on it is this. People who are in the military are there by choice - they know going in that the potential of war is a very real possibility, and make thier decisions knowing that. Some people even go into the military wanting the opportunity to go to war. But once they end up in a war situation, I think it must be a lonely and frightening thing, and I'm sure support from people back home matters a great deal. I imagine it would be very disheartening to feel that your own countrymen/women don't support what you're doing. I think it's possible to say that you don't argree with the situation but that you offer moral support those individuals who are out there risking their lives for something that they believe in, that they believe will strongly impact our country's future. I don't think you need to agree with why they are there to support the fact that they are and offer as much positive attitude towards them as possible.
First of all, I must apologize as I'm not sure which Jen this is. (I know a ton of them.) Second, I agree with what you say. My point was more or less to suggest turning an asinine argument back on those who would use it. Do I think that those who support the war really want our soldiers to die? No, of course not. By the same token, they shouldn't question my support for the soldiers just because we happen to have an ideological difference. (Now, if someone were to say, "I hate the United States and every soldier who fights for it," they would totally have a point.) I have a friend who served in Iraq. I appreciate his service, and I've thanked him for it on multiple occasions. It doesn't appear that he'll be going back anytime soon, and I'm grateful for that. Part of the reason I don't want this war to go on any longer-and why I never wanted it in the first place-is because I think of all the others whose friends and family members are still there and those who have lost people there. Some may be offended by my saying that it was for a specious line of reasoning, but I hope they understand that I'm not trying to say that their efforts (or lives) were for naught. I'm just exercising a constitutional right those soldiers have helped to give me.
Matt,
I totally agree with you, but things aren't that simple anymore (trust me, I wish they were). In the last three years I have done a 180 on my stance with Iraq, and I don't think we should be there. The unfortunate thing is if we do leave, this monster we created will only get worse. If I was Bush - and thank God I'm not - I would be begging the United Nations to come in and help, because frankly, otherwise...you'll have the most diverse hotbed for terrorists thats ever existed.
To Jen, people in the military do know the possibility of war is real, but this war has been a funny thing. (Just so you know, I am the friend Matt refers to). I joined the Air Force with the full intention of never doing anything the Army or the Marines do. Yet, things are so tight now, I was attached to both the Army and the Marines in Iraq. I think that says something on multiple levels, like that times are so tight right now that they are risking Airmen. Could I have expected to go to war pre 9-11? Yes. Did I expect to go in the capacity that I did, as basically backfill for other branches? Hells no! Even though I'm no longer active duty, I can tell you that attitudes have been mostly negative with the guys who were in 4-6 years. They feel betrayed by the government (and still do), because they're pulling deployments every six months. Manning is so bad, there are guys I know going on fourth or fifth tours. As far as the attitudes of the people back home, I think this country learned a lot from Vietnam, and that the service members know they have support beyond the politics.
My final thought is that the 2000 + deaths weren't meaningless, to those that knew them. Unfortunatly we were all pawns in something bigger, not about freedom or democracy, but lining the wallets of the fatcats in Washington.
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