In defense of "STUPIDITY"

In defense of “stupidity” and those of us that affects…

Hey, I’ve got friends who serve in the military…friends who have served in the military…and probably my son or his friends (or maybe my daughter or her friends) will serve in the military. Heck, I was even about yay close to joining the Army myself! I have NOTHING against the troops, and I have NOTHING against those good, brave souls fighting over there. I am WELL AWARE that “Freedom isn’t Free” and I know exactly what is at stake in this war we are fighting. Guess what (and here’s the shocker) : I HATE this war. I think we long ago lost sight of what it was “supposed” to be about, and it has become something we have to “prove.” We are all of us Americans. We are all of us FREE. There are good boys, girls, men, and women over there in the Middle East. I am aware of the fact that were it not for someone willing to die for Freedom I wouldn’t have the ability to sit here writing this.

So, in defense of “stupidity” or “un-patriotism” as some like to call it, I’m writing this…because I have the right to do it. I have the right to hate this war. I have the right to hate the fact that I have friends whose children are growing up without a father around because he chose to join the military. I think there is a misconception going around about folks in the military : there is this idea that they’re somehow brainwashed. I happen to disagree with that particular sentiment, I don’t think people who are in the military are brainwashed any more than people who choose to be police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, doctors, etc. Those people who put their lives on the line every day…for the sake of someone else. But you know what? I’m tired of hearing about another innocent soldier who lost his or her life to some senseless war in a foreign country. WE invaded THEM. Sure, we saw to it that Saddam got what he deserved…great. Good job, W. (Insert eye rolley thing here.) But at what cost?? How many hundreds and thousands of lives could have been spared had we simply done something a little bit different? But hey, I’m not bashing the troops so don’t send out your little hate mail to me! I happen to have a deep seated love for the troops. I think they’re brave. I think they’re heroes. But I think this war is stupid. So my “Support The Troops” is : BRING THEM HOME NOW!! Yeah, we’re there…yeah we started something we probably can’t finish…but the sooner we try the sooner we get our young men and women home safely where they belong. Or are they going to always be there in some form? Is this another Korea? I hope not…look where that got us.

Yes, you can HATE the war and LOVE the troops. You can loathe W with all of your heart and still support the troops. They are not one and the same. I do not understand Senator Kerry’s comment any more than I understand the backlash it caused. He’s entitled to his opinions, and I truly believe that he misspoke (which is something W supporters are fond of saying he does…frankly, I think his brain just doesn’t work quite right) and is genuinely sorry for the way things came out. Kerry himself served in the military. But does he have a point? Are there kids out there who see no other way to better themselves than by joining the armed forces? After all, isn’t that one of the biggest selling points : we’ll pay for college! How many inner city and low income youths see College as their tickets out? And just how many can afford College on their own? Probably not many, y’all. So yeah, I think I understand the thought behind Kerry’s comment…but I agree : exactly what he said was idiotic, and he’s apologized. But come on, there are those of us in this country who have had to give a lot of credit to the President, that he didn’t (IMHO) deserve. Is it too much to ask for the same for John Kerry? I don’t think so. After all, fool me once………