I’D BEEN GETTING a little weary of the analysis from liberals about the nation’s presumed estrangement from our brave women and men in uniform. You know, the one arguing that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan surge on because there’s no draft and nobody who is white, privileged, middle-class, educated, urban or who golfs personally knows anybody in the military and therefore doesn’t, can’t, or won’t do anything to stop the killing and dying. Friends and comrades, Red Emma doesn’t know anybody who plays golf, but I am still opposed to golf. And, no, Red doesn’t know anybody in the military personally either, but still marched against the invasion and occupation, and with military veterans too, though those were, admittedly Veterans for Peace, which I guess don’t count.
By the way, where are the golfers on this one? I’ll revisit my take on the elite behavior-aping, anti-environmental, funny dressing, 1950s-retro American golf constituency when I see a Golfers Against the War or just one pro golfer take a public position against, say, torture, or Guantanamo, or even pesticide run-off.
I was in an empirical mood on Monday morning, and wanted to see if meeting a couple of red-blooded U.S. servicemen would change my position—maybe somehow make me more against this fucking awful war, which Americans say in useless polls that they oppose—so I showed up at the first ever National Truth in Recruiting Day, September 17, which is a great day indeed, in fact, the same day in 1787 that the U.S. Constitution was adopted, for what that’s worth.
Not much it seems. Think: 5,000 preventive detentions and zero convictions.
When I arrived at the Army National Guard Recruiting Station in Santa Ana at 11 a.m. on Monday, there was just one guy there, wearing a white on black t-shirt reading “Iraq Veterans Against the War.” I shook his hand and, finally, just like that, Red Emma had met a real-life American soldier, in this case a four-time tour-of-duty Marine named Jason Lemieux, 24 years old from Anaheim, who is handsome, articulate, and brave, which are probably all perfectly bitchin’ when you are an active-duty infantry dude shooting at the enemy or avoiding roadside bombs but even better, I observed, when you offer an analysis of the war while standing in front of a recruiting station being interviewed by reporters. Then, bingo-bango, just like that, I met Kevin Stendahl, also an ex-combat Marine, and stood listening to them both, right out in broad daylight, on the lawn on Warner Avenue. Who knew it could be so easy, America? In five minutes I’d doubled the number of soldiers I knew and, yes, let’s see, right, okay, I was still against the fucking war and also feeling pretty darn good about IVAW’s call for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, full benefits and adequate healthcare for returning troops, and reparations for Iraqis.
After a few more minutes of hanging with the ex-troops, I had the opportunity to meet even more service folks because, as it happens, this kick-off event was going down at an actual recruiting center, which turned out to be just chock-full of Army people. Soon two, three, four active duty folks came out, wearing camo gear and looking all buff and being polite, shaking hands with the anti-war veteran activists and their posse and—think of this!—all across our proud nation civilians like me with college degrees and mortgages could meet actual vets who were visiting recruiters and high schools, like these two fellas, offering their unshy analysis that Bush lies, recruiters lie and, yes, that lying is wrong.
Then, as if that wasn’t enough to beat the band, I met a local anti-war activist. Thu Trang of the National Lawyer’s Guild OC Recruitment Awareness Project showed up to remind everybody that her outfit helps active duty service people and Delayed Entry Program enlistees get out of the military without shooting themselves in the foot or pretending to be gay, and that parents of public high school kids can sign an “opt-out” form, which prevents recruiters from calling their kids to promise them money for college and that they’ll never, ever get shipped to Kandahar or Diyala where at least their odds of meeting an anti-war liberal, are mercifully small. — Posting for Chunk: Red Emma
Andrew Tonkovich
16 comments:
Red Emma, you rule.
Give War A Chance.
Good post, Red.
Good trip.
God help us from the likes of 7:51.
Thanks for this - why isn't it in the newspaper?
But, isn't it true that, if we had a draft, this war would be over in about two or three days?
Does this mean that you are for an immediate withdrawal of troops? Isn't that in itself supposed to be problematic? Personally I'm anti-war, and I'm anti-withdrawal as well, particularly because I feel for the Iraqis who would risk being slaughtered.
What to do?
Does that really buff dude have a myspace profile with some shirtless pics? If so, let's all log on to the Saddleback Library computers and check them out! Woo hoo! He's HOT! ;)
every time brave Americans are at war the left always wheels out a couple of dweebs who couldn't hack it. self-described heros, just like hanoi john kerry. you'd all shit yourselves if ever you had to really stand up to a threat. cowards, the lot of you.
Seems to me the biggest threat to America is idiocy, of the sort spewed out by the above ditto head. And I'll have you know I'm here to stand up to this threat, because I am a Brave American, who knows fully well that the Iraq/Afghanistan War, like the Vietnam war, and like the dropping of the bombs on Japan, were all American Businessmen's crimes against humanity. You "conservatives" who support this are beneath contempt. And I'll say this to your face, too.
7:48 seems kind of clueless regarding what people of the left do during wars. Mr.7:48 - its the pointless wars people don't like. Personally, I hate being classified on the balance beam that seems to be the politics of the day, but I'd say the left are the only people in the world using some kind of rationale, and you're right - I'd never waste my life, or the lives of others on a pointless personal endeavor. I must be a total wuss or something (you know, cause I'd save my life for something that matters).
Pick your battles 7:48, or die tired.
Ya'll need to see this movie titled 'Idiocracy'.
You're a pointless person, Bohrstein. A meaningliness self-centered coward blinded by your own self-rightousness. Thank God you live in America where there are men who value freedom and our way of life more than themselves. I actually pity you because you will never know the true cost of freedom. Count your blessings while you enjoy your meaningless pathetic life.
Wow, the ditto head strikes again, this time spewing his venom at a poor 20 y.o kid, who has a hell of a lot more going for him than most 20 Y.O.s I know. (The more Ambitious ones actually get up and surf in the morning, the rest just drink their beer and take their multiple daily bong hits).
The Ditto Head (DH from here on) reminds me of a short essay by Hegel called "Who Thinks Abstractly?" (English translation by Walter Kauffman). Basically, Hegel says it is the ignorant who think "abstractly," people like DH who "think" in the broadest and vaguest of generalities. Why? Because it's so easy.
Hegel in the essay give the example of a customer to a farmer lady saying "Maddame, you're eggs are rotten." "My eggs are not rotten YOU're rotten!" was then response.
DH's posting here just goes to show in the 200 years since Hegel wrote that essay, very little has changed
Right on, and write more. Please. This one is too short.
Nope, it's just right.
It is true, this should be in the paper.
And 7:48, is is on the basis of ?what? that you feel these veterans' opposition to this war is that they "couldn't hack it"?
Post a Comment