John over at Argghh! has posted an open track party with some goodies in it.Among other things, he points to a post by former Democratic presidential candidate, John Kerry. The very long post alledgedly written by Kerry is predictably filled with bitter, very dry, almost endless points as to why he’d have been a better president than George W. Bush.
The comment section, however, is very interesting. His following of 1200 or so commenters cry, flail, pander, bow down, worship, adolate and wallow in the shadow of his post.
Here’s the link to Daily KOS. There are some really funny comments.
This is the comment I want to address here though.
I am as liberal as you can get and I support the military. Not the military-industrial complex but the military. The military of Wes Clark and John Kerry and John Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower. The military that is composed of a bunch of our best and birghtest who had the bad luck to be born on the wrong side of the tracks and believed the bullshit ad campaigns that told them the Army was their way out of the ghetto. The military composed of Reservists and National Guard who no way in hell signed up to be shipped off for extended or any tours of Iraq. The all volunteer military that lets liberals like you and all the Young Repuglicans leave the toilet cleaning duty to the less privileged classes.
I’ve heard this tired, old and decidedly not true argument many times.
First. This poster says he supports the military composed of a bunch of kids with the bad luck to be born on the wrong side of the tracks. He mentions, Wes Clark, John Kerry, John Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower.
I don’t want to embarrass you so I’ll type this quietly. Wes Clark, John Kerry, John Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower were not poor little boys born on the wrong side of the tracks who got lured into the military to get out of the ghetto.
Just so you know (insert weak smile with near disbelief).
Second. What exactly do you think Reservists and National Guard are signing up for? To get a check every month? Well, okay, some do, but that’s not the point.
The Reserves and National Guard are military personnel who are available when needed. It’s a great gig in peace time, in war time they have to do a little more to earn their pay. If they don’t know that, then they didn’t read their contracts.
Just trying to keep you informed, trying to help (weak smile again).
Third. Yes, it is an all volunteer Army. That’s the point. It’s a citizens army. All volunteer.
Our sons and daughters, yours and mine, the full spectrum of society are represented in our Armed Forces. And they all clean the toilets, at least during their trainging.
I do agree with one point you made later in this post. You said we should have mandatory service. I agree with that. If everyone in this country were required to spend a couple of years in the Armed Forces we’d have a much stronger country.
Just one of the advantages to mandatory service is that these kinds of arguments would fall by the wayside because people would get a clue about what kind of people serve in our military.
~~~ Please note some corrections in comments …. thanks :)~~~
January 22nd, 2006 at 7:31 pm
Um, my name is John, not Chuck…
And as for beginnings… I wouldn’t put Ike in the same class of privilege that Kennedy and Kerry were born into, nor Clark really.
After all - when he was a kid living in Arkansas, when they played soldier, they made Clark be a Yankee. As a bluebelly blood relative of Arkansas relatives myself, I can tell you that’s a strike… 8^)
January 22nd, 2006 at 8:14 pm
Arghh!, I have no idea why I wrote Chuck - I’m sorry - it’s fixed now.
As for the level of privilege of the Johns, Ike and Wes, It wasn’t my intention to put them in the same class, but to point out that none of them were born in the ghetto or needed the military to make something out of their lives.
However, I didn’t know that poor Wesley was made to play a yankee as a child. One would have to take that into consideration when trying to understand his personal problems. It could explain a lot.
Thanks for the corrections and thanks for visiting
January 22nd, 2006 at 8:15 pm
Another mistake - I mean Argghhh!
Sorry - I’ll get it right yet.
January 22nd, 2006 at 9:51 pm
“I do agree with one point you made later in this post. You said we should have mandatory service. I agree with that. If everyone in this country were required to spend a couple of years in the Armed Forces we’d have a much stronger country.
Just one of the advantages to mandatory service is that these kinds of arguments would fall by the wayside because people would get a clue about what kind of people serve in our military.”
Perhaps this is why we didn’t have all these asstards with whacky ideas during WWII. Sure, we had a few, but they scattered like cockroaches on December 7, 1941.
By contrast, Sept. 11, 2001 seems to have brought all of the cockroaches out into the light. What we need is an industrial-sized can of Raid.
January 22nd, 2006 at 10:24 pm
Mark,
It seemed like everybody came together right after 9/11. But it didn’t take long for people to forget. Then the weak and cowardly to start crawling out of their hiding places.
Someone told me that would happen. But I really couldn’t believe it at the time. I thought we’d pull together to fight our enemies.
I was wrong.
January 22nd, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Yep, it’s sad really. I’m blogrolling you, btw!
http://knockinonthegoldendoor.mu.nu/archives/153150.php
Wait, okay, I’m on bent knee. (read my post and this will make more sense!) Beth, will you blogroll me?
January 23rd, 2006 at 1:27 pm
My husband is infantry. He knew what he was getting into when he went on active duty and he knew what he was getting into when he switched to the Guard a couple years ago. He knew he’d go to Iraq. Now he’s on his way. He’s not from a ghetto. He’s not poor. His father owned a company and my husband went to Harvard. My husband has a degree in engineering from Harvard as a matter of fact, so he could’ve done a lot of things besides go into the military. It wasn’t his only choice. And while his background is certainly is not representative of the Army as a whole, to stereotype our military service members is coming from the same set of circumstances is insulting - not just to my husband but to the others who DO actually come from tough backgrounds and are proud that they’ve chosen to serve. The son of alcoholics and the oldest son in a poor family from Ohio, my father worked his way up in the Navy. Sure, he initially joined partly because he thought he might get drafted and he wanted to be able to finish college, but he knew (30 years ago) what he was signing up to do. It is the military. Guard, reserves, active duty - it’s not freakin’ boy scouts they are signing up for to get benefits and a steady job. My husband has marched many miles with a rucksack on his back. He’s jumped out of planes and commanded companies of a couple hundred young soldiers. He’s prepared to go to Iraq and doesn’t need some armchair pundits or liberal politicians to feel sorry or pity for him. He wants to do his job and he will do it well. He’s got his fellow soldiers to watch his back which is better than a pundit or politician any day.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:57 pm
I blogrolled you Mark!! Thanks
Patriette - I appreciate your comments. I think that’s one of the things that aggrevates me so much about that argument - it’s so insulting! Like our soldiers are a bunch of illiterate idiots who can’t read their contracts or don’t understand that they aren’t going on a camping trip.
They consciously and knowingly make a decision to defend their country. Knowing what the risks are.
I think the progressives have a hard time understanding someone would put themselves in harms way for love of their country, homes, families and the idea of freedom. So they assume they are all sheep without brains.
It really irritates me.
It’s about courage.
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:46 pm
Okay, so now will you marry me? (I’ve always pushed my luck too far.) LOL
Patriette - Your comments rocked!
January 24th, 2006 at 10:44 am
Mark, you are charming! I am already married, but I do appreciate you asking (I hope that doesn’t crush you too badly). (cough, cough, cough - sorry just getting my composure).
I think Patriette is married too.
Actually, I think you are too.
BUT, if anybody runs by here that looks like a good prospect I’ll send them your way - k?
You really didn’t have to go that far to get a link
lol
January 26th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
“Actually, I think you are too.”
Oops, caught me!
LOL
I am married, and happily, and I wouldn’t trade that for all the blog links in the world!
I like your blog, and featured you today, BTW.