Posted on 10/20/2006 4:15:44 PM PDT by Dane
editorial | posted October 20, 2006 (web only) Pat Tillman's Legacy
Kevin Tillman
Former Major League Baseball player Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. This article originally appeared on Truthdig. It is Pat Tillman's birthday November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice.... until we get out.
Much has happened since we handed over our voice:
Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can't be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.
Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few "bad apples" in the military.
Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It's interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.
Somehow the more soldiers who die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.
Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.
Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.
Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.
Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.
Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.
Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.
Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.
Somehow torture is tolerated.
Somehow lying is tolerated.
Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.
Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.
Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.
Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.
Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.
Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.
Somehow this is tolerated.
Somehow nobody is accountable for this.
In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don't be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that "somehow" was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.
Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat's birthday.
Seems like Kevin Tillman is going the cindy sheehan route.
BTW, Mr. Tillman how come no condemnation by you of CNN that is reveling in America's enemies, the terrorists, killing your brethren.
CNN Defends showing terrorist sniping American(CNN declres jihad on America)
Just for some more background information, the Tillman sons and father are a big fan of America hater Noam Chomsky.
Leftist scum.
Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It's interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.
I'll take a single Chomsky readin' Pat Tillman over a hundred Coulter readin' paper tigers any day of the week.
Even one that puts down Kindergartener's who show support for the troops and America.
See reply #6.
Um, please read my post again.
I said PAT, not KEVIN.
And to be fair, the author is not mocking kindergartenders. He is pointing out that there is much more we can do to support our troops than simply lend moral support.
Uh yes he is mocking kindergartener's.
Misc ping
I've criticized Coulter now and then but your remark is arrogant and stupid.
Chomsky readers are idiots and paper tigers are useless.
Some choice there.
I don't agree with Coulter readers but calling them all paper tigers is insulting and untrue. There are plenty of Ann Coulter fans who I like and admire.
I don't believe he did that. I certainly didn't mean that.
I believe he referred to a class of people who are (a) Coulter readers AND (b) paper tigers. I do not think he said--or even meant to imply--that those groups were necessarily mutually inclusive.
Gosh, I hope I don't need to resort to a Venn diagram.
You are, of course, correct.
My fault for not being more clear.
I'll concede the point. No need to post a diagram. It's still a gratuitous comment.
BTW, I just see Kevin Tillman, et al as gullible, not evil.
He's not scum. He's just gullible.
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