Friday, June 11, 2004
Open Your Piehole
While getting into my car yesterday I noticed a bumper sticker plastered to side window of a nearby minivan. It read, "Support our troops, or shut your piehole." This is a sentiment seems to be one that is all too common in our society. While I have seen thousands upon thousands of different variations on the theme, "Support our troops" over the past few years, I can't help but wonder, "Who isn't?" The number of Americans who don't support our troops is shockingly low. Bob Dole, while speaking at a rally for Rolling Thunder (a group of veterans who recently voiced their support for GWB – a great irony to those of us who are still wondering how a dentist appointment in Alabama is proof of active duty against the Vietcong), claimed, "80-90% of Americans support our troops." I actually think this is a frighteningly low estimate. I think the actual number of people in this country who support our troops is well above 95%. But then again, that's my opinion. The attitude of Americans by and large is that overwhelming support. Look at the flags that fly all over our country, the daily news coverage of the troops coming home, the video and internet messages that are beamed to and from the Middle East, the tributes paid to the fallen, the list goes on and on. Even the protests that are more and more dotting the landscape of American society don't label our troops as "baby killers" and "murderers" as they did in Vietnam. The truth is that Americans DO support our troops and resoundingly so.
The problem with the aforementioned bumper sticker is really two fold. The first is that even if you don't support the troops, what those troops put their life on the line for is the ability of everyone in this country to stand up, open their "piehole" and NOT support our troops. Freedom of speech would be a lot easier if it just protected speech that everyone agreed on. But it doesn't. But then again, that's why we are privileged to have it.
The second problem is much more insidious. George W. Bush and his merry band of cronies have duped too many people in this nation to equate "questioning our leaders" with "you are un-American and don't support our troops in their hour of need." Often using Nixonian "dirty trick" techniques and a 24 hour news channel to help, they keep telling people that if you question what our president decides, then you are against the United States. If you disagree with and venture to question Bush about the reasons that we are in the war in Iraq, then you will likely be publicly hailed as a "whackjob." Even if you show Bush (and his cronies) the string of "revisions" to history they have made since the inception of this conflict, you will get blank stares and a meeting with some of Ashcroft's finest. Orwell would be happy that he came within twenty years of being right.
The point is this: questioning our leaders is not un-American nor does it signify that we don't support our troops. Rather, questioning our leaders is not only our right, but also our responsibility. Supporting those that fight for us is not only a responsibility but also an honor. And saying that anyone who questions the war, our role in it and/or the leaders who put us there is un-American is in itself un-American. I support our troops wholeheartedly and will gladly support getting them whatever they need to do their job effectively and as safely as possible. But I won't shut my piehole. To do so would simply be un-American.
While getting into my car yesterday I noticed a bumper sticker plastered to side window of a nearby minivan. It read, "Support our troops, or shut your piehole." This is a sentiment seems to be one that is all too common in our society. While I have seen thousands upon thousands of different variations on the theme, "Support our troops" over the past few years, I can't help but wonder, "Who isn't?" The number of Americans who don't support our troops is shockingly low. Bob Dole, while speaking at a rally for Rolling Thunder (a group of veterans who recently voiced their support for GWB – a great irony to those of us who are still wondering how a dentist appointment in Alabama is proof of active duty against the Vietcong), claimed, "80-90% of Americans support our troops." I actually think this is a frighteningly low estimate. I think the actual number of people in this country who support our troops is well above 95%. But then again, that's my opinion. The attitude of Americans by and large is that overwhelming support. Look at the flags that fly all over our country, the daily news coverage of the troops coming home, the video and internet messages that are beamed to and from the Middle East, the tributes paid to the fallen, the list goes on and on. Even the protests that are more and more dotting the landscape of American society don't label our troops as "baby killers" and "murderers" as they did in Vietnam. The truth is that Americans DO support our troops and resoundingly so.
The problem with the aforementioned bumper sticker is really two fold. The first is that even if you don't support the troops, what those troops put their life on the line for is the ability of everyone in this country to stand up, open their "piehole" and NOT support our troops. Freedom of speech would be a lot easier if it just protected speech that everyone agreed on. But it doesn't. But then again, that's why we are privileged to have it.
The second problem is much more insidious. George W. Bush and his merry band of cronies have duped too many people in this nation to equate "questioning our leaders" with "you are un-American and don't support our troops in their hour of need." Often using Nixonian "dirty trick" techniques and a 24 hour news channel to help, they keep telling people that if you question what our president decides, then you are against the United States. If you disagree with and venture to question Bush about the reasons that we are in the war in Iraq, then you will likely be publicly hailed as a "whackjob." Even if you show Bush (and his cronies) the string of "revisions" to history they have made since the inception of this conflict, you will get blank stares and a meeting with some of Ashcroft's finest. Orwell would be happy that he came within twenty years of being right.
The point is this: questioning our leaders is not un-American nor does it signify that we don't support our troops. Rather, questioning our leaders is not only our right, but also our responsibility. Supporting those that fight for us is not only a responsibility but also an honor. And saying that anyone who questions the war, our role in it and/or the leaders who put us there is un-American is in itself un-American. I support our troops wholeheartedly and will gladly support getting them whatever they need to do their job effectively and as safely as possible. But I won't shut my piehole. To do so would simply be un-American.
