Warriors and wusses

The Los Angeles Times ^ | January 24, 2006 | Joel Stein, Los Angeles Times

[seanmerc]

Warriors and wusses

I DON'T SUPPORT our troops. This is a particularly difficult opinion to have, especially if you are the kind of person who likes to put bumper stickers on his car. Supporting the troops is a position that even Calvin is unwilling to urinate on.

I'm sure I'd like the troops. They seem gutsy, young and up for anything. If you're wandering into a recruiter's office and signing up for eight years of unknown danger, I want to hang with you in Vegas.

And I've got no problem with other people — the ones who were for the Iraq war — supporting the troops. If you think invading Iraq was a good idea, then by all means, support away. Load up on those patriotic magnets and bracelets and other trinkets the Chinese are making money off of.

But I'm not for the war. And being against the war and saying you support the troops is one of the wussiest positions the pacifists have ever taken — and they're wussy by definition. It's as if the one lesson they took away from Vietnam wasn't to avoid foreign conflicts with no pressing national interest but to remember to throw a parade afterward.

Blindly lending support to our soldiers, I fear, will keep them overseas longer by giving soft acquiescence to the hawks who sent them there — and who might one day want to send them somewhere else. Trust me, a guy who thought 50.7% was a mandate isn't going to pick up on the subtleties of a parade for just service in an unjust war. He's going to be looking for funnel cake.

Besides, those little yellow ribbons aren't really for the troops. They need body armor, shorter stays and a USO show by the cast of "Laguna Beach."

[A.A. Cunningham]

Joe Klein

Joel Stein

How to apologize to a feminist

[saveliberty]

Doh! LOL LOL LOL!

[Andy from Beaverton]

Sometimes you get lucky and get to fight ethnic genocide in Kosovo...
And sometimes you get it wrong and get to fight Christians who are being killed by Islamofacist in KosovO and never find any real evidence of genocide by the Serbians.

[seanmerc]

I'd rather see a picture of CZJ. She's a lot easier on the eyes.

[Dr._Joseph_Warren]

Agree with your comments.

I also have no problem with this guy. In fact, I appreciate his honesty. It makes for much better dialog on a difficult topic.

I don't agree with him, but I have no problem with him voicing his reasons for opposing the war in Iraq. He is being honest without being antagonistic toward the troops.

Very refreshing (and unusual) to hear this from the left.

[Radix]

I've already written the paper.

Then I came to be certain that FReepers see this article.

Thanks for putting it up.

[Radix]

Ping.

I'm not trying to ruin your day, but perhaps you might consider spreading this ping to a few others just so that they might see what the media is spewing out today.

[StarCMC]

What a steaming load. The fact that this a$$hole is writing his crap in ENGLISH speaks volumes. He willingly enjoys the benefits the military of this country has provided for him while crapping on them. If I ever EVER think about purchasing an LA Times I hope someone whacks me over the head.

[StarCMC]

perhaps you might consider spreading this ping to a few others just so that they might see what the media is spewing out today

Pinged a few Radix. Ugh ugh ugh -- what trash.

[Darksheare]

I met a few guys like the estreamed Mr Stein while in uniform.
They are so low that not even a mouse would whizz on them.

[saveliberty]

:-) Thank you

[AZamericonnie]

OMG.....I can't believe I just read this trash. What color is the sky in this mans world? I can't say what I really want to out of civility....

[Bubba_Leroy]

Blindly lending support to our soldiers, I fear, will keep them overseas longer by giving soft acquiescence to the hawks who sent them there — and who might one day want to send them somewhere else. Trust me, a guy who thought 50.7% was a mandate isn't going to pick up on the subtleties of a parade for just service in an unjust war. He's going to be looking for funnel cake.

As opposed to Clinton, who thought that 43% gave him a mandate in 1992.

Ask a Democrat sometime to name the last three Democrat presidents who won with more than 51% of the popular vote. It drives them crazy. (Hint, one of them is Andrew Jackson).

[StarCMC]

No doubt. Hey -- did you read what happened to Sarge when their plane landed in Tampa??? A total OPPOSITE of this crap.


Posting police disclaimer: I know I'm supposed to ping Old Sarge to thes thread if I talk about him, but I don't want to ping him here to read this crap, so I'll ping his brother instead.

[Darksheare]

Good idea.
If my blood is boiling, Sarges would sublimate.

[austinTparty]

He considers himself a "humor" columnist. Problem is, he simply is not funny. This certainly isn't... but, hey, at least he's honest.

[KC_Conspirator]

Trust me, a guy who thought 50.7% was a mandate isn't going to pick up on the subtleties of a parade for just service in an unjust war.

This is one of those people Peggy Noonan describes as "a ungrateful liberal thoughtlessly enjoying freedoms won by greater men of courage".

I bet he thought Klinton had a mandate even without ever winning 50%. And I do believe Bush crossed the %51, so his numbers are wrong anyway.

[thegreatbeast]

There is no honesty in this turd.
But blaming the president is a little too easy. The truth is that people who pull triggers are ultimately responsible, whether they're following orders or not. An army of people making individual moral choices may be inefficient, but an army of people ignoring their morality is horrifying.

This POS is saying that those serving in Iraq are moral monsters, killing for for The Dark Side. This chickensh*t poofter doesn't have the guts to come out and say it but he really has no concern for our people. The wagging of the tongue about hospitals and returning the troops safely is just this guy's blind. Do you have concern about those you judge to be morally corrupt? This punk is a liar. He'd be happy to see our best come home in body bags and in large numbers. He thinks that would prove his moral superiority. Fug him.

[Bubba_Leroy]

Bush's final count was 50.73% of the popular vote. Clinton never broke 50%. In fact, the last Democrat presidential candidate to break 50% was Jimmy Carter in 1976, with a whopping 50.08% of the popular vote.

The last Democrat before Carter to get more than 50% of the popular vote was LBJ in 1964. The last Democrat before LBJ was FDR. Before FDR you have to go back to Samuel Tilden in 1876 (who lost the electoral vote to Rutherford Hayes). The last Democrat before FDR who was elected with more than 50% of the vote was Andrew Jackson in 1828.

These and other fun facts can be found in the Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.

[FreedomCalls]

I'm not advocating that we spit on returning veterans like they did after the Vietnam War, but we shouldn't be celebrating people for doing something we don't think was a good idea.

And I'm not advocating that we spit on journalists either ...