Please help me, I am having a hard time understanding one of the core ideas behind the anti-war movement. It seems to me that their ideas have been stuck in amber since the 1960s. One of the most idiotic of these is that it makes sense to denounce the war while at the same time “supporting” the troops. Stupid.
In case no one has heard, we switched to an all-volunteer military a long time ago. This change in the manpower of our military should change the whole basis of the debate on the war. Those of us who choose to serve no longer need anyone’s pity. That also means that laady-daady everybody in the military right now knew exactly what they were getting into when they joined up. Everybody knows that we are at war and likely to remain that way for a long time. We all elected to join up knowing this. Is it too much to ask that our sacrifices mean something?
As John McCain said in a book written by his aide as quoted in the International Herald Tribune: “In response to the criticism that a protracted war is ‘breaking the army,’ Salter said McCain ‘answers as an officer in the Vietnam era: He says the only thing worse than an exhausted or broken army is a defeated army.’” International Herald Tribune March 18, 2007
I would like the sacrifices that me and mine made in Iraq and Afghanistan to mean something. I do not want defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. Yes, that also means that we can win this war. Not only that, we need to win this war. We need to prove to the Jihadists out there that they cannot wait out our resolve. They need to know that we are committed to cleaning their house of these fanatics at any cost. Especially since the Muslim world appears to be incapable of doing this for themselves.
Mostly though, I think that the idea that war is never an option is manifestly stupid and ignores the basics of human nature. Anyone who says that he or she would never vote for a war under any circumstances clearly lives in a fantasyland and puts the rest of us in danger. Instead of declaring that war is bad and leaving it at that we should direct the discussion more towards whether or not any war, including the war on terror, is necessary. If you tell me something different, I am immediately going to think that you an ideologue and will dismiss whatever you say.
This does NOT mean that I want to go to war or that I am automatically in favor of war. It means that I am in favor of this war. It also means that I want war to be the last option, but still an option. Our enemies have to know that we are willing to back up our threats with force if needed.
So, if someone says that they are against this war we are in because it has been mismanaged or disagree with the necessity of going in the first place I can respect. I have nothing but contempt for those who take a hard anti-war line against the US going to war with anyone for any reason ever. Save your breath, because I will not listen to you.
Love the soldiers hate the war = cognitive dissodance
Please help me, I am having a hard time understanding one of the core ideas behind the anti-war movement. It seems to me that their ideas have been stuck in amber since the 1960s. One of the most idiotic of these is that it makes sense to denounce the war while at the same time “supporting” the troops. Stupid.
In case no one has heard, we switched to an all-volunteer military a long time ago. This change in the manpower of our military should change the whole basis of the debate on the war. Those of us who choose to serve no longer need anyone’s pity. That also means that laady-daady everybody in the military right now knew exactly what they were getting into when they joined up. Everybody knows that we are at war and likely to remain that way for a long time. We all elected to join up knowing this. Is it too much to ask that our sacrifices mean something?
I would like the sacrifices that me and mine made in Iraq and Afghanistan to mean something. I do not want defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. Yes, that also means that we can win this war. Not only that, we need to win this war. We need to prove to the Jihadists out there that they cannot wait out our resolve. They need to know that we are committed to cleaning their house of these fanatics at any cost. Especially since the Muslim world appears to be incapable of doing this for themselves.
Mostly though, I think that the idea that war is never an option is manifestly stupid and ignores the basics of human nature. Anyone who says that he or she would never vote for a war under any circumstances clearly lives in a fantasyland and puts the rest of us in danger. Instead of declaring that war is bad and leaving it at that we should direct the discussion more towards whether or not any war, including the war on terror, is necessary. If you tell me something different, I am immediately going to think that you an ideologue and will dismiss whatever you say.
This does NOT mean that I want to go to war or that I am automatically in favor of war. It means that I am in favor of this war. It also means that I want war to be the last option, but still an option. Our enemies have to know that we are willing to back up our threats with force if needed.
So, if someone says that they are against this war we are in because it has been mismanaged or disagree with the necessity of going in the first place I can respect. I have nothing but contempt for those who take a hard anti-war line against the US going to war with anyone for any reason ever. Save your breath, because I will not listen to you.
All photos from Zombietime.
26 April, 2008
Categories: Clueless Commentary, Iraq War, Winning The War on Terror . . Author: Count Blogula
No Comments Yet
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI