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November 20, 2004

If That's What You Call Supporting Our Troops, Just Save It

Preston at Consternations has an interesting post today on how the liberal mantra has claimed support of our troops merely for what can only be described as 'politcal expediance' and to provide a cover for their historically consistent anti-military positions:

Remaining on the topic of the brave Marine who acted quickly -- and correctly -- in splattering a wounded-but-still-threatening terrorist in Fallujah a few days ago, columnist Thomas Sowell examines what the "support the troops" mantra means to those who echo it while decrying the mission and actions of those same troops. In "Supporting the Troops?" he also provides a good dose of common sense.

    During the recent election campaign, it has been a liberal mantra that they "support the troops" while opposing the war in Iraq. Just what does supporting the troops mean -- other than just a throwaway line to escape the political consequences of a long history of being anti-military?

    It certainly does not mean making the slightest effort to understand the pressures and dangers of combat, so as to avoid the obscenity of sitting in peace and comfort while second-guessing at leisure some life-and-death decisions that had to be made in a split second by men 10,000 miles away.

    The latest example is the now widely-publicized incident in which an American Marine in Iraq shot and killed a wounded terrorist in Fallujah. Chris Matthews on Hardball spoke of "what may be the illegal killing of a wounded, unarmed insurgent" -- the politically correct media term for a terrorist -- and asked: "Is there ever a justification for shooting an unarmed enemy?"

    The unreality of this question is breath-taking, both logically and historically. How do you know that someone is unarmed, when finding out can cost you your life? A hand grenade is easily concealed and can kill you just as dead as if you were shot by a machine gun or hit by a nuclear missile.   More...

Preston's post is important enough to simply provide the link without comment. However, not enough can be said in behalf of the Marine, and not enough can be said about the negative coverage of our troops and the war on terror by the liberal media. I would further argue that the liberal media's vitriolic expression of anti-administration rhetoric and the attempts to 'drum-up' anti-war sentiment prior to, during, and after the elections has for the most part contributed to deaths of our troops, an increase of hostage taking, and an overall world-wide increase in anti-American sentiment.

From this Marine (albeit now a much older one) to that Marine in Fallujah: you deserve the Silver Star, not condemnation or second-guessing by people who have never experienced the hell, fear, and anxiety of the terror of battle, the lack of sleep for days, the strain on one's body from days of adrenalin-high just to stay alive, the too-painful-to-describe feeling from the death of a comrade who only moments before was there breathing, talking, and fighting beside you, or the total exhaustion that just can't be understood without having experienced it. Semper Fi!

Posted by Hyscience at November 20, 2004 5:43 PM

• If That's What You Call Supporting Our Troops, Just Save It - Nov 20, 2004