Posted on 05/06/2003 10:25:00 AM PDT by SoDak
ELK CITY, Idaho - There was a much-repeated phrase floating about during the most heated fighting of the second Gulf War. This slogan, mouthed mostly by celebrities, anti-war activists and the leaders of the Democratic Party, went something like this: "We support our troops," the ultra-partisans would claim, "but we are against the war."
I didn't understand those words then, and I don't understand them now. They seemed nothing more than the utterances of those afraid to take a strong stand for their convictions, a not-so-subtle condemnation of the Bush administration carefully constructed to side-step the labels of "unpatriotic" or "anti-American." They were and are the height of ambiguous double-talk, devoid of logic or rational definition. They were and are a disclaimer emanating from the pie-holes of folks who wish to avoid the ire of a public who by and large support both the war effort and the brave men and women who put their lives on the line. They were and are nothing but a shibboleth for the anti-Bush contingent, meaningless syllables which permit the lemmings of the left to easily identify each other as citizens of fantasyland, advocates of the ennui inherent to the nanny state.
The quotation - "We support our troops but we are against the war" - should receive a perfect 10 in the Olympic fence-straddling competition. It's a little like saying "we support traffic cops, but we are against speeding tickets." It's reminiscent of right-wingers who proclaim, "we don't hate homosexuals, we just hate their behavior." It's the cry of left-wingers who avow, "we support the rights of hunters, but we are against gun ownership."
Such statements are the stock in trade of feckless cretins whose true motives are expressed only from behind pulled curtains. We know what they really mean, just as we know that their token gestures of empathy are hollow and contrived.
Few things are more irritating than people who privately express verbose disdain for any given topic but are frightened to take the public heat which walks hand-in-hand with full disclosure. If one is incapable of speaking his mind without qualifiers or escape hatches, then they shouldn't speak at all. If one is incapable of speaking without seeking to placate those whom they attack, covering all bases and protecting their precious tails from possible fall-out, they should adopt a vow of silence. A half-truth is still 50 percent lie.
"We support ranchers," say the timid, "but we are against eating steak."
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. If your beliefs burn so hot that you are compelled to touch them to tinder, then by all means hold forth. Jump on the soapbox, grab the microphone, sign your name to the letter. Don't hide your light beneath a bushel basket.
However, if your moral fortitude is tempered by how your thoughts might alter the way you are perceived by others, do us all a favor and shut up. Wishy-washy pronouncements don't fool anybody.
"We support loggers," say the forked-tongue tribe, "but we are against cutting down trees."
Though I would strongly disagree with a Bull Pacifist, I could respect such a person's courage in clearly stating their position. If they say they are against the Iraq war ... fine. If they say they care for the welfare of soldiers and non-combatants on both sides and hope none of them suffer harm ... fine. If they say they are against all armed conflict, for any reason ... fine. I think they are misguided and wrong, but at least they're not shoveling a load of bull into my yard. They're not sugar-coating their ideology or presenting the incompatible argument that they hate war but support the troops who wage war.
Some folks, regardless of affiliation, realize that not all aspects of life are shaded by infinite hues and soothing earth-tones. Furthermore, they know that what is strongest in their heart is strictly black and white.
That's one reason I'm fond of the Bush White House. They have focus. They state their goal and pursue it. Again, they say what they mean and mean what they say.
That's a policy long absent from the Executive Branch, hijacked for years by those who say what they don't mean and mean to stab you in the back at the most expedient opportunity, all in the name of votes, poll numbers and fund-raising efforts.
I support free speech - speech which is not spiked with deception. I support the war in Iraq because it is the right thing to do. I support decisive and overwhelming action against any nation that supports terrorism, harbors terrorists or threatens our country.
Mostly, I support the troops who are risking their lives in the name of protecting our security, our beliefs and our very existence. There is no greater sacrifice, and as liberals never seem to learn, sacrifice does not come in shades of gray.
Neither does honesty ... to self or others.
Ron Marr is publisher, editor and janitor of The Troutwrapper magazine. Contact him at www.troutwrapper.com.
You make an interesting point. And carry it a little further: Christians say "love the sinner, hate the sin," or some such wording. Isn't that just what these lefties are saying? They, who are consistently anti-religion.
Fascinating.
If one is incapable of speaking without seeking to placate those whom they attack, covering all bases and protecting their precious tails from possible fall-out, they should adopt a vow of silence. A half-truth is still 50 percent lie.
So I guess that makes little tommy's diatribe about being "saddened, saddened," over the utter failure of Bush's diplomacy, a 100% lie when you compare it to his 'after-poll-result' statement of acknowledging Bush's handling of a great victory?
This mantra by the liberals may have fooled some, but it didn't fool the real conservatives: We support our troops," the ultra-partisans would claim, "but we are against the war."
I don't have a problem with pacifists, I have a problem with politically motivated closet pacifists; those that displayed zero conscience or sense of morality when their Democratic President waged war, sold and blemished his office. The fact that they have felt the consequences of their hypocritical stance doesn't bother me one bit.
Then there are the morally misguided, despite any consistancy in their position:
A half-truth is a whole lie.
I have no difficulty in understanding that position. It states a position that supports the well-being of troops sent to war regardless of the reasons. It also states a position that does not support the reasons for waging that war.
It is every American's obligation and duty to question government. Trusting government is a fool's position. The government does not trust government, why should the citizen. The wise framers of the Constitution for this Republic did not trust government. That is why you see three branches of government and the checks and balances required so that the citizen need not trust government.
What does become difficult to understand is the notion that a free people need give up freedoms in order to be preserve their freedom. How can one say they are free when limited to only two points of view and no others.
Actually, this is what I was trying to say.
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