Ever notice how war mongers always ask people who question their lust for war whether or not they support our troops? They figure no can say no to that one, thus winning their argument without having to argue. Why fall into that fool’s trap? Either you are in favor of a war of against it and you should have solid reasons why. Supporting our troops has nothing to do with it. If the war mongers loved our soldiers so much they wouldn’t send them to war in the first place. Would they take the soldiers’ place? Doubtful. By and large the biggest war lovers are the people who never fought one. Why ask anyone to do what you yourself are unwilling to do? That is the way of the coward. Unfortunately for our troops, the nature of military service is that soldiers obey their orders, even when their government is using them in a cowardly and deceitful way, like expendable pawns on a chess board.
Right now there are no American troops actively engaged in defending America since there is no one attacking America. Our troops are off attacking other countries. In Iraq American troops were used to steal oil that belonged to someone else. Was there any other reason to invade Iraq? What, to save them from a tyrant? If that was American policy, why didn’t we attack Zimbabwe and hang Robert Mugabe? And just like in Afghanistan, the war lovers would have you believe it is our duty to remake these nations in the image of America. Why not remake camels into aquatic mammals too? Maybe you figure they’re tired of all that sand and would welcome living like otters as a refreshing change of pace. You figure that if you’re a complete idiot, that is. It’s pretty obvious that camels are not going to take to the rivers and streams anytime soon, at least not very enthusiastically.
So if you pay attention to the obvious, what is being done rather than what is being said, you have a situation where the troops we love to support are engaged in some pretty unsupportable activities. What began in Afghanistan as a military expedition to hunt down Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda thugs has turned into 6 years of war with nothing to show but death, destruction, corruption and patently ridiculous attempts to turn camels into otters. Rather than get in, kill the enemy and get out swiftly without giving a crap who governs a nation that was stupid enough to host Al Qaeda, we’re stuck in a war that looks more and more like the Vietnam War with every passing year, right down to the lame attempts to win hearts and minds at the point of a gun. Is there anybody these days saying how much the government of Vietnam resembles American democracy?
So, support the troops all you like, just don’t ask for it to be unanimous. Can you support our troops and detest what they are doing? How exactly does that work? Better to support them by bringing them home. It sure wasn’t their idea to invade those nations and stay there for 6 years as human targets for a resentful population while our politicians get to act tough on their backs. When all is said and done, Iraq will be the Iraq it would be if we never invaded and Afghanistan will melt back into the 16th century where they seem most comfortable. And as long as they are not launching armies at our shores, that’s really none of our business. Now is the time for our new president to put an end to this folly. Get the hell out of Iraq, and if they can’t kill or capture bin Laden, then there’s no reason to be in Afghanistan either. Too much blood has been spilled for nothing but the egos of war mongers. Enough. Support out troops. Bring them home.