SUPPORT THE TROOPS, INDEED

Normally, I give people the benefit of the doubt. Conservatives constantly strap on their armbands, take up the standard with the flag unfurled and loudly proclaim their support for our troops. Liberals, of course, also support our troops, but we are able to recognize that preventing the fruitless loss of their lives is the highest way to honor our soldiers. Conservatives are fond of implying or outright spewing that liberals hate the troops. Of course, that is untrue. There are those in PT who do say they hate the troops, but those lunatics are as likely to be right wing as left.

I never thought we would add S_LINK90 to the list of people who hate the military, but...well, let me tell you the story, and you can decide for yourself.

ALFIE-00 and gogo_12 were talking about their experiences in Vietnam during the conflict there. jaNeboNd (one of those lunatics I mentioned earlier) was calling soldiers baby killers. gogo, who obviously would know, confirmed that often that (and worse) is what soldiers ended up doing in a time of war. Then ALFIE, to provide context, told the room that, very often, death came in the most unlikely form.

Sometimes, a child would run up to a caravan calling, "Hey GI, hey GI, wanna buy some flowers?" ALFIE told us that sometimes an unthinking soldier would buy a bunch. "It was only two minutes down the road," said ALFIE, "when it would go off and take out the whole squad. Arms and legs went flying everywhere."

I glanced over to the text, and saw this:

elian_8: I found his leg
S_LINK90: ELIAN,,,LOL

I looked around for some other statement in text that elian and LINK might have been talking about, but there was no other topic where those lines fit. It was unbelievable, but undeniably true: LINK was amused at the thought of American soldiers being blown to pieces.

I think we all know that the conservative tendency toward jingoistic militarism is a thin facade designed to conceal essential cowardice, but it is a rare day indeed that the curtain is pulled back, and you really get to see what lies in the heart of a conservative. Today was one of those days.

JC