WaPo Columnist: US Troops 'Naive Mercenaries' -- What Do We Really Owe Them?

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Half-serious warning: those with heart conditions are advised to have their medications handy when reading this.

With Democrats in congressional power, are leftists feeling suddenly empowered to express formerly taboo views? First came a column in the Los Angeles Times arguing we have overreacted to 9-11. Now comes Washington Post columnist William Arkin to express contempt for our troops and question how much we really owe them after all.

Excerpts from The Troops Also Need to Support the American People:

• "I've been mulling over an NBC Nightly News report from Iraq last Friday in which a number of soldiers expressed frustration with opposition to war in the United States. I'm all for everyone expressing their opinion, even those who wear the uniform of the United States Army. But I also hope that military commanders took the soldiers aside after the story and explained to them why it wasn't for them to disapprove of the American people."
• "These soldiers should be grateful that the American public, which by all polls overwhelmingly disapproves of the Iraq war and the President's handling of it, do still offer their support to them, and their respect."
• "Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every rape and murder, the American public has indulged those in uniform, accepting that the incidents were the product of bad apples or even of some administration or command order."
• "We pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way, and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead, defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society?"
• DEFIBRILLATOR ALERT: "The recent NBC report is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary - oops sorry, volunteer - force that thinks it is doing the dirty work. The notion of dirty work is that, like laundry, it is something that has to be done but no one else wants to do it. But Iraq is not dirty work: it is not some necessary endeavor; the people just don't believe that anymore."
• "They are young and naïve and are frustrated with their own lack of progress and the never changing situation in Iraq. Cut off from society and constantly told that everyone supports them, no wonder the debate back home confuses them."
• "America needs to ponder what it is we really owe those in uniform."

Don't think the Washington Post didn't know what they were getting when they hired Arkin to write a column. Arkin is a man who once wrote a book divulging the secret locations of nuclear bases around the world.

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Have-defibrillator-handy alert ping to Today show list.

[Rummyfan]

This is a new low - even for Pravda on the Potomac! Some visitors from the 82nd need to drop in on Mr Arkin.....

[BenLurkin]

Sickening.

[wastedyears]

Don't tell them what our Special Forces do. They'll want every Operator hanged for human rights violations.

[JacksonCalhoun]

Is there any question now that our brave soliders and us and the right are fighting two enemies at once?

[Doctor Raoul]

You forgot to post a SCUMBAG ALERT in the title.

[o_zarkman44]

special forces need to clear out the Wa Po because it seems to be a terrorist stronghold of support.

[roses of sharon]

Bush Derangement Syndrome, political porn for these bathhouse boys and their feminist beards.

[dforest]

Rush just read this piece on his show. This is the enemy folks. According to this lowlife schmuck, our troops are supposed to be grateful to slime like him and shut up. My blood just boils!

[lafroste]

Perhaps the patriots and those who love freedom should just withdraw to Indiana or so, let the leftists have the East coast, then let the muzzies in to celebrate diversity.

10 years later the patriots can re-take the East coast and by then our liberal problem will have been abated.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Death where is thy sting? How much sharper than the serpent's tooth is the word of a thankless Arkin!

[Jeff Chandler]

Where's that Gaydar graphic?

[tcostell]

Ironically, this was the same argument used by general Westmoreland when arguing that the draft shouldn't be abolished, that a volunteer force was basically a mercenary army.

His arguments were subsequently taken apart by Milton Friedman who said that asking someone to choose to work for their own reasons, is almost always better than forcing them to do it at the point of a gun. Patriotic volunteers aren't mercenaries any more than draftees are slaves.

It's really ironic that this weasel um... respected journalist, would be channeling Westmoreland because it's probably the only time in his life he's ever agreed with him.

[RichInOC]

Fascinating...it's not every day you see a full-face Dirty Sanchez.

If you go out on the main forum, he's got a follow-up where he keeps digging. What an idiot.

[RandyRep]

Go read Uncle Jimbo's reply to Arkin at http://www.blackfive.net/main/2007/01/a_hearty_f_you_.html

Warning - it's profanity laced.

Blackfive also has several other posts about Arkin's piece (of sh!t).

[paul51]

I can't help but wonder why we tolerate this kind of stuff when we are at war.

[YourAdHere]

William Arkin has body odor.

[RichInOC]

Here's the link to that (I think the barf alert is implied):

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777454/posts

[ladtx]

clueless

One entry found for clueless. Main Entry: clue·less
Pronunciation: 'klü-l&s
Function: adjective
1 : having or providing no clue <a clueless case for the police to solve>
2 : completely or hopelessly bewildered, unaware, ignorant, or foolish <clueless about what they want>
3 : William Arkin