Gotta say, I'm a liberal who sometimes posts at Free Republic, and I'm shocked at the unanimity with which you all don't get this cartoon. The troops are being done wrong by their civilian leaders--as the cartoon suggests--just like in Vietnam. If you're not holding those civilian leaders to account, how can you respect the troops?
Youve been listening to Kerry and Murtha too much.
Please crawl back over to the DU sewer.
I have friends freshly back from the war who completely disagree with this statement.
This cartoon, your statment and the statment by the homo disgusts me.
[The troops are being done wrong by their civilian leaders]
No Sir. It is you who does not get it. TERRORISTS!!! ...not our civilian leaders... are harming our troops, just like they harmed our civilians on 9-11. Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Rice are doing an incredible job of SUPPORTING our troops in spite of anti-American obstructionists like yourself.
"The troops are being done wrong by their civilian leaders--as the cartoon suggests--just like in Vietnam."
For those who "forgot" what Hanoi Kerry
did in the past read on and learn the truth.
Hanoi Kerry was still a USNR officer while he:
gave false hearsay testimony to Congress
negotiated with the enemy
helped the US lose a war
abetted in the deaths of millions
created a hostile environment for all servicemen
http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/index.php?topic=Documents
hanoi kerry went before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in 1971
to accuse the United States military
of committing massive numbers of war crimes in Vietnam.
hanoi kerry 1971 TESTIMONY
http://www.c-span.org/vote2004/jkerrytestimony.asp
Legislative Proposals Relating to the War in Southeast Asia Thursday, April 22, 1971
United States Senate, Committee on Foreign Relations, Washington, D.C.
Yes, you are CLEARLY a "liberal" as you have NO RESPECT for the rights and property of others. Following are excerpts from a statement by the founder and and owner of Free Republic.
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Free Republic is not a liberal debating society. We are conservative activists dedicated to defending our rights, defending our constitution, defending our republic and defending our traditional American way of life.
Your "opinion" is incorrect.......
Oh, I got it...but a cartoon trying to make that point should make a mockery of the brass, not use a ludicrous comic depiction of a quadriplegic soldier as the comic centerpiece. That crosses over a line between satirical and tasteless.
You're shocked? Apparently your empathy center is hardened.
You're wrong Perlstein. The cartoon and your claim is false. It is in fact a lie to claim that the Rumsfeld and the DOD does not take care of those wounded in service to their country. Your shock is bogus. It's no more than a display of contempt for those engaged in actually ridding the world of tyrants and their cutthroat supporters.
"doesn't the idea of the JCS sending a letter, threatening in tone, to the Post before the piece even ran strike you as more like government intimidation?
No threat was made. The letter called them on the fundamental lie the cartoon represented. Intimidation? BS!
" You can argue that the government intimidation is appropriate, but I don't think you can argue that it is the same as mere "free speech." Indeed, under color of uniform, military speech is quite restricted."
Anyone in the military is entitled to cry BS! when they see it, and this is a clear unequivocal case of it.
"If the JCS can distract the public from trenchant criticism by claiming it's disrespectful to the troops--and remember, the cartoon is about RUMSFELD, not the soldier--doesn't that give them a free pass to cover their butts and deflect ANY criticism? "
It's not about Rumsfeld. The slur was an attack on the entire US military. You can't cover that up, because as the Joint Chiefs did, you'll be called on it. You'll be called on it from every decent human being with half a brain to care and note what is.
"Why is the drawing of the soldier offensive?"
It says that the US abandons their warriors. In particular, that the US military does so, and that's their policy. It is a flat out lie!
"...a dozen vets back from Iraq are running for Congress as Democrats. They would agree more with Toles than with you, I think."
Congress already has plenty of surrender monkeys. If recruiting new one's with a military background fit's their purpose, that's what they'll do. Same with Kerry and Sheehan's gay porn star sidekick.
"they are being done wrong by their civilian leaders in our common fight against terrorism. It is not being handled well."
Empty claims. Just repeat them and waive your hands. The only audience that believes them are the jihadi sympathizers.
"Who sympathizes with terrorists?"
Folks that spread lies about those putting them out of business.
"I find that the best source on progress in Iraq is here: http://www.brookings.edu/iraqindex "
It's a rotten source. They ignore the fact that Iraq's terrorist supporting dictator is gone, the terrorists have lost both a safe haven and base of operations.
" Number of newspapers down since March,
You mean the jihadi incitement sheets! Good.
"for example, crude oil production is about where it was in September of 2003 ...oil revenue about where it was in September of '04"
The Iraquis control oil output. The market determines and the Iraquis determine production. Also... "most frighteningly, on 39, the poll by our allies at the British defense ministry indicating that 82 percent want the coalition to leave and 45 percent who think attacks against the coalition are approrpriate."
Did your pollster ask them what they think of nuking the US and Israel? Why does the experts at your leftist think tank fail to differentiate, between those that are happy they've been liberated and those that are not, amongst the 82%. I'll tell you why! They all expect the allies to leave. That would be done until we are asked to.
"Media portraits of discouraged Iraqi citizens and discouraged American citizens would seem appropriate, as much as we would all wish things were different. "
You mean media propaganda. Little pieces from here and there that portray a false image. If what you say is true, they would simply tell us to leave and we would. That's not the case though. Your intent is simply to paint a bad image of the folks mounting successful opposition to the jihadis.
"Did you miss the part where 82 percent want us to leave? Speaking of understanding democracy?"
Did you miss the part where they said after the job is done?
"I'm a professional historian"
You're a professional propagandist. Historian requires the use of truthful facts and presentation.
"I'm just not sure ousting the Baathists, only to have them replaced by Shi'ite Islamacists allied with Iran will be a strategic gain."
It's a coalition govm't. They are not allied with Iran. Focusing on any commonality means nothing. Jihadi operations and there support structures are being shut down. That's the reality of the situation. The phantoms of your fears contained in the propaganda are not.
My husband is a Marine Reservist who came off of 21 months of active duty just yesterday. His has been a life of giving to the United States as a military child, an Academy grad, Marine Officer. And he's not finished yet; he'll most likely be activated again in the fall. His father and his grandfather have served as well...one to retirement and the other to death in Pearl Harbor.
The thought processes that run through liberal minds are at best, useless and idiotic. At worst, they are hurtful, callous and traitorously despicable. I have just about reached the ends of my patience and tolerance for this kum-ba-yah mindset, the left's disdain for our nation, and their lack of education and knowledge about world history and wars.
You know what...I'm finished posting to anyone here who's flown under the radar, and who sounds like mother moonbat Sheehan.
"Gotta say, I'm a liberal who sometimes posts at Free Republic, and I'm shocked at the unanimity with which you all don't get this cartoon. The troops are being done wrong by their civilian leaders--as the cartoon suggests--just like in Vietnam. If you're not holding those civilian leaders to account, how can you respect the troops?"
And as a former liberal who used to hang with the friends of Joan Baez and go to Blank Panther meetings, I gotta say if you haven't grown up yet and rejected the liberal talking points (treason du jour) you must be a bit slow of wit.
What all the burnt out hippies from Sheehan to Kerry to you want to do is rekindle the defeat of the Vietnam war with your cut and run yellow bellied whining. Been there, done that, not going to do it again. You glory in defeat, because only in defeat do you prosper politically. So you must drag down the president and the troops at every juncture, no cartoon or cynical barb too small, because you have a vested interest in failure. Pretty sad commentary on your ideology, no?
And you know, I've heard all the liberal and socialist bunk for 35 years now, I've even studied it in detail. All talk, no action, theory without substance. In Kerry's mold, you issue calls for diplomacy, or "better" policy, or a grander scheme, but you guys never actually want to get your fingers dirty by doing something useful in the real world (like going to war). In your view, the world is run by diplomats having champagne rather than through the blood and sweat of decisive action executed by men of honor.
Sure, let's cut from Iraq. The result will be a civil war, the butchering of 1,000,000 people, a return of the Middle East to the dark ages, the demise of Israel. You liberals are as stupid as bricks, ludicrous, ridiculous creatures of the past. Go worship Fidel or Stalin or Mao, or Jane Fonda like you used too and remind me just how utterly useless you are. (and remember, I was there during the protests of Vietnam and I know your crap by heart, you ain't fooling nobody no more).
That simple statement shows the false feeling of superiority that liberals like you have for others who do not subscribe to you liberal views, that somehow they are not smart enough to understand things the way you do. Maybe if you take your nose out of the clouds, your brain may actually get some oxygen, and a dose of reality.
...in our common fight against terrorism.
Our common fight against terrorism?? You liberals and your media are aiding and abetting the enemy.
Liberals wouldn't know how to fight terrorism, even if the terrorists came and pooped down your collective liberal throats.
Remember the embassy bombings in Africa? What did your hero do about it? But then again it was mainly a bunch of Africans who got killed, and what do liberals care about that other than make fine speeches. What a bunch of hypocrites you are!!
I'm shocked at the unanimity with which you all don't get this cartoon. The troops are being done wrong by their civilian leaders
How? Site your sources.
I don't see you on the threads honoring our troops.
did you ever hold Clinton to account over the illegal possession of FBI files, using the IRS to audit 'enemies', doing nothing over Rwanda, doing nothing over WTC 1993, selling national security secrets for campaign cash or the echelon spying programme?
and I'm shocked at the unanimity with which you all don't get this cartoon.