I ask this question in all sincerity. I believe the blogosphere was the driving force behind the defeat of the bill that would have given amnesty for illegal aliens. It could do the same for our Fighting Forces.

Our Vietnam Veterans came home to chants of ‘Baby Killer’ and our country swore we’d never do that again. Now, our country mouths the words, ‘We Support Our Troops’ because no one wants to be guilty of doing to these soldiers what was done to our Vietnam War soldiers. The problem is that way too often there’s a caveat behind the words. ‘I support the troops but ….. [fill in the blank with whatever is currently the 'but'].

What exactly do the words ‘I support the troops’ mean? I know some people who quietly go about sending packages and making sure they send emails and letters. I know people who defend their honor with words, blogs and written letters. But all too often the words are hollow and basically meaningless without any action or courage backing them up.

Lately, I have become more and more alarmed at the increasing boldness with which those who would divide our country and destroy our military have campaigned to change the imagery of our fighting men and women to villains. Historically, our armed forces have been heroes, but they are increasingly seen as some sort of underclass who are held in disdain, dehumanized and distrusted.

I can only guess who would have an interest in weakening the United States by demoralizing and dehumanizing our military. We know that our enemy, islamofascists, have taken to some sophisticated propaganda campaigns on the internet. We know that the communists and socialists on the left have an interest in the weakening of our country in order to gain power for their own agendas. Then there are those that just run with the pack without any thought for the consequences. It doesn’t much matter, the result is the same.

The most recent example of this villainization of our Troops is a series of articles written by what is describe as a soldier currently serving in Baghdad using the pseudonym Scott Thomas. The articles are published in a left-leaning rag The New Republic. The latest, published this week, is titled ‘Shock Troops’ and describes some horrific acts perpetrated by the Soldiers stationed at FOB Falcon in Baghdad. The ’soldier’ writer describes himself as participating in these activities. Sound familiar? If you were around during Vietnam it should. It’s eerily reminiscent of Winter Soldier.

The author of this series has not gotten down to calling our Soldiers ‘baby killer’s’ … yet. At this point, he has just gotten to the point of accusing them of killing dogs, wearing the skulls of Saddam-era murdered children on their heads, and laughing and jeering at an IED disfigured woman they couldn’t identify as a soldier or contractor.

The Weekly Standard has challenged the New Republic on their vetting of their source and the legitimacy of the stories and is following up with a blog round-up and publication of emails from troops in Baghdad. There are obvious errors in the story that make it obvious the writer is not that familiar with the situations he is attempting to describe. I know that the stories are fabricated.

We all know, or should know, that war is not a pretty thing. Very bad things happen and people do things in war that they wouldn’t do in their ‘regular’ lives. That’s just a fact. Another fact is that the Soldiers of this war are having to fight the war under untenable circumstances. Their every move is under a microscope and dissected for the world to view and analyze from comfortable homes these soldiers haven’t seen in months. Worse still, if there isn’t a bad enough story, then some just make them up.

Don’t think for a moment that this isn’t an attack on our country. It is. Don’t think for a moment that this isn’t personal to you. It is. It’s FOB Falcon today. Next week it could be a FOB or COP where your son or daughter is stationed. If we don’t speak out and act the attacks on the integrity of our armed forces will only become bolder until we have no defense at all.

Is it really okay to treat our Soldiers this way? Are we willing to sit back and tsk-tsk, not calling the enemies of our country to task for their disrespect and dishonor?

I’m not willing to. I’m not willing to at all. How about you?

Blogs that are reacting to this story and where you can read much more:

Instapundit writes:

THE TROOPS USED TO BE HEROES. Then the media made them victims. Now it’s making them evil, like the hordes of “Jenjis Khan.” This will make betraying them more palatable.

We’ve seen this pattern before.

Yeah - I was thinking the exact same thing! Heh!

The Florida Masochist makes an excellent point in response to the New Republic’s reaction to the blogosphere questioning the authority of this author and his articles. This isn’t a right or left issue. It’s not conservative versus liberal. This is a question of responsible reporting.

Blackfive, Greyhawk, American Thinker (who has an idea as to the real identity of ‘Scott Thomas’), Michelle Malkin, Villainous Company, Powerline, Hot Air, A Blog for All, Cao’s Blog, Wake Up America, Right Wing Nuthouse, Op-For, Confederate Yankee, Ace of Spades, Bullwinkle Blog, LGF, The Jawa Report

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