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Politics : For the Sake of Clarity and Meaning -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: one_less who wrote (327)	3/9/2005 2:25:10 AM
From: Kevin Rose	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 777

I am among those that also support the troops, but don't agree with their use. So, let's turn it around a bit. Are people who take this position working against themselves? That is, should a person who does not agree with the use of troops STOP supporting them? Logically, it makes no sense to support a position you disagree with. Morally, of course, we don't want to put our troops in additional danger by failing to support them. Or is that simply what used to be termed a 'cop out'? The protesters of the Vietnam War believed that by adamantly and in some cases violently protesting the war, they would end up in the long term saving both American and Vietnamese lives. I believe the logic was that, even if the short term drop in troop morale caused additional casualties, getting the troops home saved many more lives. Btw: I was in grammar/junior high at the time, so I can't say what the protesters were thinking, but, ironically, as a youngster I supported President Nixon. :) So, should someone who takes an anti-Iraqi war position throw themselves in front of the plant that makes armaments? I've always viewed that sort of action as highly symbolic and of little practical value, and even a bit narcissist. Unfortunately, for many on the left, it is even more complicated by the fact that many support the effort in Afghanistan. It's hard to throw yourself in from of the war machine while saying, "But, I'll let through any armaments headed to Afghanistan". And, what if we leave Iraq, and a civil war erupts, killing many and destabilizing the region? Would the 1,500 troops killed by wasted, and would the left have more responsibility than the right, believing the war was wrong but supporting it anyway? Should the left stop with the 'but I support the troops?' ps not sure if this is an appropriate topic here, but it just seems more civil here. Even I'm on better behavior... :) EDIT: to tie this in with the topic, is "But I support the troops" code for "I don't want to be labeled as unpatriotic?" Code for "I want to be able to say I told you so later without actually placing any skin in the game?"