Bob Herbert, in his opinion columns for the NYT, tends regularly to pin things down to moral basics, as in this recent example.
From the very start of this war the loudest of the flag-waving hawks were those who were safely beyond military age themselves and were unwilling to send their own children off to fight. It’s easy to be macho when you have nothing at risk. The hawks want the war to be fought with other people’s children, while their own children go safely off to college, or to the mall. The number of influential American officials who have children in uniform in Iraq is minuscule.
… the vast majority of the parents who support the war do not want their children to fight it.
The president and these home-front warriors got us into this war and now they don’t know how to get us out. Nor do they have a satisfactory answer to the important ethical question: how do you justify sending other people’s children off to fight while keeping a cloak of protection around your own kids?
An “important ethical question” it truly is. And it’s hitting a number of ordinary American families VERY close to home. But it’s hitting very few of the of the families of those who are causing it to happen.
There was some of that going on during Vietnam as well. George, as you recall, managed to avoid going to that other war while well over 50,000 braver, more disciplined, or (mostly) just less fortunate Americans went and died there. It was wrong then, and it’s still wrong.
Visits: 99
here’s a story about “all the great help/benefits” we Aren’t Getting: the people who fought in all wars, etc!
(PS: Hope I can post this link here, if not, sorry in advance…I kow this is a religious website, but thiso was mentioend by patrions about wars.veterans, et al…so this fits the subject matter perfectly, liek I described it!).
http://www.detnews.com/2005/politics/0507/05/A01-236911.htm
Read this,please, and tell me if this is the right way to treat vets, et al..Would Jesus treat veterans this way? the answer would be NO(he’d also try to
not get them to fight, turn the other cheek, but I do not think he’d turn them away, either).
Peace.
Continuation from last post……
I accidentally hit the submit button.
Anyhow, since the 4th quarter of 1997, and continuing on to today(started with Mr Clinton, and mr Bush is taking it further?)
we pay for extras, we must pay 350 per year just to get signed up at a military base, and pay for all scripts, at said bases, if we go, even if for
meds are for injuries that happened when we got medical discharge.
Va is a hair better, but nothing like it used to be, either. my er visits was over 500 dollars a few months ago, free in 99.
Big difference.
Anyhow…..what we gonna do? It’s in God’s hands now.
I had better stop here
Although people attack Rush Limbaugh, he did have a valid polint not too long ago.
He said something akin to ” the peoploe whom send your kids to war get a 15,000 dollar Per Month retirement;
if a person stays in th emilitary 20 years, and make E-7 (rank), they may get(net) 1000 dollars per month retirement”.
He said it was not right! I am a DAV.
when i got out over 11 years ago, my medical was free, at any Military Base,VA hospital, etc…
even if I were rushed to ER(for medical issues pertaining to what I got out of the military for), It Was Free!
My son is one of those kids deployed in Afghanistan. In his letters he tells me of the futility of the effort and of the contractors living well and making money left and right. He is just one of many and I hope and pray that he makes it home alive and well. He was going to make the military his career, that is no longer the case. He is totally disillusioned with his government and its handling of this mess.
George W Bush and Dick Cheney did not serve their country in Vietnam but they can send my son to this war with no end? SHAME, SHAME SHAME!!!
This website is a bit irreverant, but does get this point across with it’s Operation Yellow Elephant.
http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/