Why I Cannot Support the Troops

"Every subject's duty is the king's, but every subject's soul is his own."
(Shakespeare, Henry V)

We're all familiar with the yellow-ribbon stickers bearing the phrase "Support the troops" that are pasted on cars, typically owned by people considered "conservatives." Unwilling to allow the "righties" a monopoly on the phrase, "liberals" have adopted it themselves reinterpreting it to mean, "Bring em home," since the best way to "support the troops" in their estimation is to get them out of harm's way. But as far as I can see neither side has been willing to address the more important issue, which is to look at what our troops are actually doing in Iraq and determine whether their actions are something that should have our support as U.S. citizens.

I've concluded as has most of the rest of the world that what the troops are doing is legally and morally wrong and that they should not, therefore, be "supported" in the manner that most apparently feel they should.

My starting point is the basis for the war. It was instigated on a fraudulent (and ever-changing) basis and for an illicit purpose (to gain control over Iraqi oil), was prosecuted in violation of international law, has caused the death or disfigurement of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and will continue to be the cause of misery for thousands more for years to come. It is, therefore, morally wrong to my mind and completely contrary to my own religious tradition which insists that I love my enemies and treat them with the same mercy I am shown by my creator.

All of this is well known to our political leaders, the war-hawking pundits who do their bidding, and the war profiteers who are earning a fortune on the war. More specifically, as the so-called "Downing Street Memo" confirmed, the Bush Administration knew exactly what it was doing: "fixing the intelligence and factsaround the policy" of going to war a policy that was in place long before the fallacious WMD and "ruthless dictator" claims were made.

It is thoroughly nonsensical to argue "Support the troops but not the war." The troops, of course, are the ones who pull the triggers and push the buttons that are the immediate cause of death and injury, so "supporting" them will not stop the bloodshed; it will only perpetuate it.

The troops must be held responsible for their own actions, just as all other participants should. Yes, we need to bring them home and get them and the Iraqis out

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