Sunday

bring them home

I have a good friend whose husband was recently shipped to Afghanistan (he's in the reserves), leaving my friend at home with 4 teenagers and a 5 year old.

At a party recently, someone said to her, "I am so sorry to hear about XXXX being sent to Afghanistan. What can we do for him?"

So my friend replied, "Well, just work to get the Republicans out of office."

At which point the other woman said "Now, now, we aren't going to talk politics!"

This irritates my friend a good deal. It happens a lot. People ask her how they can help her husband, or what they can do for him, and they want her to answer something like "Pray for him" or "Support the troops" or "Send him a care package." They do not like my friend to tell the truth, which is that the only meaningful thing they can do for him is work to get him home, and that the only meaningful power people have to work to get him home is to elect Democrats in place of Republicans.
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

nonononono. Osama was there before Bush was president. Arab terrorists have hated us and planned on killing for decades, irrespective of the party in power.

I suppose it is true that Democrats would get us out of Afghanistan and Iraq. But we should be prepared for more killing of Westerners in that scenario. And more violence, and more regimes like the Taliban (question: how can a feminist prefer that we left the Taliban in power?).

If your friend didn't want to see active duty, he shouldn't have joined the military (what, he was drafted?). Soldiers fight. It's their job.

Sunday, August 7, 2005 at 11:57:00 PM GMT
Anonymous said...

I completely sympathize with people not liking republicans - but COME ON democrats have had us in one war or another! Get off your high horses - PLEASE for G-D's sake!

ek

Monday, August 8, 2005 at 12:06:00 AM GMT
Kizz said...

While I agree with what your friend is saying maybe she can say it in a more specific way in order to help motivate people to do something without automatically alienating them. Keep in mind I'm all for alienating any idiot who can't figure out that getting her husband home quick would be her first priority but it's going to shrink her pool of available helpers.

Maybe, "You can work to get a swift and safe exit plan from Afghanistan and Iraq" which is clearly clunky as it's off the cuff but the problem here is that we're stuck over there. We haven't really freed anyone and if we walk out now we leave them worse off than before we showed up. After this colossal fucking up of their homeland (along with, I hope, a tiny bit of help) we can't in good conscience walk out without making sure the innocent have a chance at a better life.

I haven't heard anyone from either party voice a good exit strategy for either country but I hope we can find one soon and get your friend and all his colleagues home.

Monday, August 8, 2005 at 5:07:00 PM GMT
Anonymous said...

i believe it was jfk who got us into vietnam and another democrat lbj who kept us there. and a republican who got us out. fancy that.

Tuesday, August 9, 2005 at 11:41:00 PM GMT
Anonymous said...

this is just nauseating. my sentiments exactly on the person about who said if he didnt want active duty he shouldnt have signed up. I mean what? he wanted the free education but didnt want to have to serve his country if it really happened? you know, in previous generations people were proud to serve or have a relative serve and even sacrifice their lives. now all they do is whine and whimper when it stops being a free ride that looks good on your resume and they actually have to pony up in the real world. only in this generation do you have mothers who instead of being honored for having produced a son who served they are sitting around holding a big whinefest about how awful it is that the big bad republican president killed thier son. instead of realizing that these arabs arent playing games over there and are a very real threat. or didnt they begin to grasp that after 9/11.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005 at 8:56:00 PM GMT
Anonymous said...

I am proud that where I live the veterans get a standing ovation in the fourth of july parade instead of it being an excuse for a liberal whinefest about how..boo hoo....our government just doesnt CARE about people because...simper simper...they send them to fight in wars. yeah...lets just sit back like a bunch of pussy whipped girly man liberals and let Osama blow our brains out...because you know...we'd be so NICE while we were doing it.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005 at 10:14:00 PM GMT
Anonymous said...

Well, I am late to this discussion but here goes - first of all I am very proud of my husband and what he and his men have accomplished in spite of having less and doing more for themselves. For God's sake, my husband had to buy oil filters when he was home on leave because they want humvees that will run when they are ambushed! Secondly, my husband is in the National Guard. That is not the Reserves. The Nationial Guard mission is a stateside mission and has been since WWII and was so when my husband joined. If you recall, our president avoided being sent to war by joining the National Guard so he had stateside service. The military did not pay for any of my husband's degrees so you can rest easy that I am not reaping big tuition bucks and expressing my opinion at the same time. Nor does it help his resume in any way except make people wonder why he does it. He does it because he is a patriot and a man of convictions and courage.

Now for the facts, yes Osama was there before bush. In fact, the CIA trained him and backed him as long as he would fight Soviets. Rumsfeld set Saddam Hussein up as long as he would kill Iranians and Cheney has been making millions through Halliburton in Iraq for years - long before the war but well after it was illegal to deal with Saddam. I am thankful that my husband was deployed to Afghanistan rather than Iraq because at least Afghanistan has legitamacy. The war in Iraq is just Bush playing at being a big man and providing Osama with the best recruiting tool ever. Bush has made the world more unsafe not more safe. He has ensured a new generation of people who hate Americans and are willing to attack us. Sounds like "Mission Accomplished" for Osama! As for those of you whining that Democrats have gotten us into wars - so? We are talking about the here and now. Frankly, I am not so happy with the Democrats either because they caved when they should have exhibited the moral fortitude to stop this rampaging administration. For the record, even with four military age sons, I believe in a universal draft with no exemptions to be put in place before any escaltion of war. If everyone's child had to go, the bush folk would think more carefully about engaging our troops. In fact, why are Barb and Gina out getting drunk? Shouldn't they be in Fallujah?

For those of you who say "quit whinning soldiers fight" you should be aware that there is a deep and abiding social contract. Soldiers put thier lives on the line but the politicians must never ask the soldiers to do so unless it is the absolute last resort. We know that was not the case in Iraq. The plans for invasion were drawn up before 9/11 and Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. In fact, if we had left our soldiers in Afghanistan instead of taking virtually all the resources to fight the war bush wanted in Iraq, we would probably be through there and the Taliban would not be resurfacing so strongly in the south.

I find it interesting that you people respond to a post with virtually no infornmation at all but make wild and amazing assumptions at the same time believing that my husband should fght but I should have no right to an opinion. I am a soldier's wife. I am proud of my husband and his men. I couldn't be more proud. I know what it was like on active duty as well. Perhaps you all are the whiners. Good thing my husband protects your right to whine about people who disagree with you. Get a life or better yet - if you are so pro-bush and his policies - join the army and put your money and your life where your mouth is.

Thursday, June 22, 2006 at 8:10:00 AM GMT

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