Take two, on supporting troops, &c.
Mar. 20th, 2003 01:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quislibet[Hmm. "You may view your updated journal here" took me to someone else's journal, fortunately missing my post. Alas, my own journal is also missing my post. I try again, from a different browser.]
It vexes me considerably that criticism of the way Bush has handled diplomacy has to be conflated with "politicizing the war" or "failing to support our troops." One odious congressman -- okay, Dennis Hastert -- even suggested that Daschle's criticism the President's handling of the situation approached giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
Then there are other Democrats who have been voicing opposition to the war, but have said that once the fighting starts, they will "support our troops," by which they seem to mean they will stop being all oppose-y. The message from either side seems to be, "Our boys our fighting for your freedom, so shut up and obey."
Well. As for supporting our troops, it seems to be a leftover of the Vietnam era that "opposition to war" necessarily means pelting soldiers with stones and broken bottles when they come home. Perhaps it is naive of me to believe that this is not the case. I myself support our troops by not wanting them to be killed. Clearly, the best way for this to happen is for them not to go to war. As that's no longer an option, I wish them safety and a quick victory with minimal "collateral damage" (and better luck with those pesky helicopters).
(I am thinking about how different it was, 12 years ago; I was by no means pro-war, but I saw the reasons more clearly, and found knee-jerk anti-war sentiment tiresome. G.H.W.B. sold it better, I guess. I was glad I was away in Athens -- only one country away from Iraq, with only all of Turkey and the Aegean in between, oh my goodness! -- at the time, and didn't have to be back at Wooster, surrounded by emergency candlelight vigils.)
Finally, as for supporting our Commander-in-Chief during war: Well, yes, obviously, we have to, absolutely. If someone is recklessly gambling with your life or security, you want him to succeed.
Netscape says:fi
It vexes me considerably that criticism of the way Bush has handled diplomacy has to be conflated with "politicizing the war" or "failing to support our troops." One odious congressman -- okay, Dennis Hastert -- even suggested that Daschle's criticism the President's handling of the situation approached giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
Then there are other Democrats who have been voicing opposition to the war, but have said that once the fighting starts, they will "support our troops," by which they seem to mean they will stop being all oppose-y. The message from either side seems to be, "Our boys our fighting for your freedom, so shut up and obey."
Well. As for supporting our troops, it seems to be a leftover of the Vietnam era that "opposition to war" necessarily means pelting soldiers with stones and broken bottles when they come home. Perhaps it is naive of me to believe that this is not the case. I myself support our troops by not wanting them to be killed. Clearly, the best way for this to happen is for them not to go to war. As that's no longer an option, I wish them safety and a quick victory with minimal "collateral damage" (and better luck with those pesky helicopters).
(I am thinking about how different it was, 12 years ago; I was by no means pro-war, but I saw the reasons more clearly, and found knee-jerk anti-war sentiment tiresome. G.H.W.B. sold it better, I guess. I was glad I was away in Athens -- only one country away from Iraq, with only all of Turkey and the Aegean in between, oh my goodness! -- at the time, and didn't have to be back at Wooster, surrounded by emergency candlelight vigils.)
Finally, as for supporting our Commander-in-Chief during war: Well, yes, obviously, we have to, absolutely. If someone is recklessly gambling with your life or security, you want him to succeed.
Netscape says:fi
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no subject
Date: 2003-03-20 10:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-03-20 11:03 am (UTC)Oddly enough, that's my fear more than anything. And I hope that it won't be like that. I know my Ranger is proud of his dress greens, and wears them when he can, and the idea that someone might hassle him because of it makes my blood boil. I might do something naughty *evil grin* Goddess help anyone who does it in front of me.
I wish he hadn't gone, and it makes things very personal for me. I can't even see past that, so the whole thing seems kind of surreal.