Using a six-shooter in knee-level warfare can be considered rather risky.
Since the Iraq war began I have listened, trying to keep from sometimes yelling inappropriately, whenever I heard the president’s propagandists saying that critics against the war were unpatriotic or traitorous. Now since the Bush administration is largely in the crapper, President GW is saying that himself to the American public. If the polls are right and since so many polls say the same thing, I suspect that the majority of the public recognizes a snake oil salesman even if he’s dressed up like a pig. Huh? Oh sorry. My metaphors were taken away and tortured by Dick Cheney. Or was it another Dick. Who knows?
I don’t know about you folks but I have had just about enough of people telling me I am a traitor or I am unpatriotic because I don’t think we should’ve gone off to invade Iraq. And that goes for Commander-in-chief (CinC) Shrub as well!
Such a cheap political ploy which actually encourages the degradation of our First Amendment rights is bad enough. But one facet of this sorry spectacle that I have not heard raised by punditry, port and starboard, is that implying such dissent hurts the troops can hurt the troops even more than the anti-war sentiments.
Basically, the Sean Hannitys and Rush Limbergers as well as the Shrub Bushers are insulting U.S. military personnel by saying they can’t handle dissent. The country has come a long way since Vietnam in that the public can understand that the military has a job to do. Not everyone loves the military. But there is no big festering hatred of the troops among the many war critics.
Bush’s argument says to the U.S. service men and women: “You can’t handle the truth!” And that’s doing them a big disservice even though some of them are still in their teens. And can’t drink. And can still get killed fighting in service of their country.
Ours is not an army (or Navy or Marines or Air Force or Coast Guard) of babies. These troops hear a lot of things they don’t want to hear every day from their superiors. So I don’t think the truth is going to mortally wound them.