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War in Iraq
RSS FeedConflict in Iraq: Is it possible to support the troops but not the war?
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| No | 22% | 97 votes | Total: 432 votes | |
| Yes | 78% | 335 votes |
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Add to FavoritesIs it possible to support the troops but not the war? The answer is a resounding no!
America was formed on the basis of conflict and revolution. Starting with the migration from England, Americans have always promoted freedom over peace. We are a people that do not tolerate absolute control or the ability to speak openly about it. We have freedom of speech, religion and right to vote.
This country was formed by revolution and the philosophy that all men are created equal and have an equal voice. Our soldiers have died on many battlefields, all with the purpose centered around freedom. The freedom to live where we choose to live, to speak our own thoughts without fear of repercussion. The ability to choose the candidates that best represent the interests of the people.
We are a country that does not advocate human cruelty and insists on fighting against it at every opportunity. Geographical location does not dictate the range or the severity of cruelty, whether the fight is in Vietnam, Korea, Germany or Iraq. All conflicts or wars that America have been involved in requires the premise that humans are suffering and we want to do something about it. We are not a complacent people.
Let us look at this issue with a more personal perspective. If our neighbors wives or children were being executed without just cause, would we close our blinds and choose personal safety over the ability to help? Have we become so selfish to believe that our lives mean more to this world than our neighbors? I think not. I hope in earnest that we are brave enough, as our forefathers were, to put ourselves in harms way in order to make this worls a better place for all people.
America will continue to fight injustice, whether or not the fight is in our backyard or 5,000 miles away. We will not sit on our hands and watch our planes fly into buildings. We will not sit idle while innocent people are being massacred. We will not sit tight while an evil dictator plans to kill our family, our friends and our neighbors.
In the words of Abraham Lincoln "Nearly all men can withstand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." We have the power to fight for our freedom and the freedom of all people. I support the troops and I support the war.
Learn more about this author, Jay Halseth.
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Yes
I have often been asked, when I was the wife of a soldier deployed to Iraq, and now as the wife of an Iraq Veteran, how it is possible for me to say that I support the troops but I do not support the war. I often turn the question around and ask, "Well, what is it you do to support the troops?" Most people can not formulate an answer. The truth is, that most people do not think much on the phrase "Support the Troops" past the moment that they stick the yellow ribbon magnet on the back of their vehicle. It's an empty phrase, something they like to think they do, but in reality never put into action.
It is very much possible to support the troops, the men and women who volunteered to serve our nation, to honor the sacrifices that they and their families make every day, to mourn their losses with them, and still not support this war. Support is an action.
For me, supporting the troops means utilizing the very rights that they swore to uphold when they took their oath to join the military. It means using my voice to question my government, its methods, and its actions. Thomas Jefferson said, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism;" the responsibility to maintain the checks and balances in your elected government are not only a guaranteed rights, it is our patriotic duty. What kind of support are you really giving them if you stand silently by and watch policies enacted that only bring them death and injury?
We have been given a multitude of ever-changing reasons for this war, as each reason was proven false, the spin machines of the administration came up with a new justification. They touted the tragedy of September 11th and utilized the atmosphere of fear created in its wake to push this nation into war in a country that was never connected with the events of that day. We sent our best and brightest into the desert without body armor, without armored vehicles, without adequate supplies. We took away the self sufficiency of military units by bringing in companies like KBR to cater and build, compromising troop security as local Iraqis were hired to build and work on military sites. We sacrificed our men and women for profit. There was no planning for the occupation of Iraq, there is still no end in sight, there are still troops deploying every day, some for their second, third, or even fourth time. Our military hospitals and veterans administrations were not prepared to deal with the influx of so many into the system, leaving our wounded soldiers without timely and adequate care.
Not only is it possible to support the troops without supporting this war, we owe it to the troops to do so. We owe it to them to see that they are never again sent into a war under false pretenses, undergeared, undertrained, past the termination of their individual contracts, and without an exit strategy.We owe it to them to pressure our government to ensure that they receive those things that they so desperately need. We owe it to them to ensure that they are taken care of when they return home, that we as a grateful nation show our support for the trials they have endured. The men and women of the US Armed Forces joined for various individual reasons. They all took an oath swearing to uphold the US Constitution and to serve this nation. They did so with the implicit understanding that their gift of service would not be used in vain. We owe it to them to support them with our action, not our empty rhetoric.
Learn more about this author, Jessica Salamon.
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