Still, shes a mother. And, if youre as heavily invested as Ms Dowd in the notion that those killed in Iraq are children, then Mrs Sheehans status as grieving matriarch is a bonanza. I agree with Mrs Ryan: theyre not children in Iraq; theyre thinking adults who made a decision to join the Armed Forces and defend our country. Whenever Im on a radio show these days, someone calls in and demands to know whether my children are in Iraq. Well, not right now. They range in age from five to nine, and though thats plenty old enough to sign up for the jihad and toddle into an Israeli pizza parlour wearing a suicide-bomb, in most advanced societies armed forces they prefer to use grown-ups. That seems to be difficult for the Left to grasp. Ever since Americas all-adult, all-volunteer army went into Iraq, the anti-war crowd have made a sustained effort to characterise them as children. If a 13-year-old wants to have an abortion, thats her decision and her parents shouldnt get a look-in. If a 21-year-old wants to drop to the Oval Office shagpile and chow down on Bill Clinton, shes a grown woman and free to do what she wants. But, if a 22- or 25- or 37-year old is serving his country overseas, hes a wee child who isnt really old enough to know what hes doing. I get many emails from soldiers in Iraq, and they sound a lot more grown-up than most Ivy League professors and certainly than Maureen Dowd, who writes as if shes auditioning for a minor supporting role in Sex and the City. The infantilisation of the military promoted by the Left is deeply insulting to Americas warriors but it suits the anti-war crowds purposes. It enables them to drone ceaselessly that of course they support our troops, because they want to stop these poor confused moppets from being exploited by the Bush war machine.
Simply magnificent!
14 posted on 08/18/2005 8:11:38 AM PDT by writmeister