How The Left Really Feels About Veterans Day
From Daily Kos:
Its time to be done with the ridiculous idea that there are some sort of politically neutral expressions of “patriotism.” Patriotism is a consciously cultivated mindset intended to secure popular consent for military actions that might otherwise be unpopular. The US is a hyper-patriotic country because it is an imperialist country that is constantly engaged in foreign adventures that defend corporate profitability but that waste precious lives of American servicemembers.
The American Legion and VFW are, first and foremost, lobbies for militarism. Veterans Day is essentially an annual exercise in the cynical manipulation of the grief that war brings into our lives in order to secure support for ongoing and future wars by wrapping the whole enterprise in the bullshit rhetoric of “military honor.”
The exclusion of IVAW, VfP and MFSO just rips away the fraudulent veil that conceals the real purpose of this whole celebration.
I understand that veterans and their families have a desire to have their service publicly honored. But this whole framing perpetuates all sorts of untruths about the nature of America’s role in the world, the role of the military in particular, and the question of who profits and who pays and why. When Viet Nam Vets Against the War threw their medals away on the steps of the capitol it was not just a strident spasm of extremis, it was a recognition of the insidious role of all this ritual of honoring participation in mass murder for profit and the aggrandizement of power that is war. They understood that so long as the veneer of honor remained attached to the exercise in mass criminality that was the war in Viet Nam, that the war would continue. Too many progressives have been fooled by lies about protesters spitting on vets into thinking that the less on of that era is that we need to fall all over ourselves proving our patriotism. The real less on is that the anti-war movement so fundamentally challenged the legitimacy of the war machine that they had to construct an elaborate lie about us in order to restore it.
Uncomfortable as it may make some feel to hear it, there is nothing honorable about following orders that shouldn’t have been given or fighting in wars that shouldn’t have been fought. Loyalty to governments that don’t deserve it should not be celebrated. It is time to shift our frame and begin to honor those who RESIST imperial wars, whether they are soldiers or civilians.
You might be tempted to think these comments don’t represent the views of everyone on the far-left, but you would be wrong. It’s laughable when left-wingers claim they “support the troops,” because nothing could be further from the truth.
I’m not talking about Democrats in general, I’m talking about the far-left which is slowly taking over the Democratic party. These people don’t believe in fighting wars and think soldiers who fight in wars are murderers. The kind of vile, anti-American crap that you see above is the true feelings of the so-called “progressives” better known as the “nutroots.”
What they really are is a bunch of despicable people that have no right to live here. They are a disgrace to everything our country stands for and I despise them.
-Chris Jones
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4 Responses to “How The Left Really Feels About Veterans Day”
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In fact, what you quote is someone’s comment on someone’s diary, not “dailykos” or “the Democratic Party”.
As I am sure you also know, Democrats serve, and have always served this nation proudly and consistently - in fact, the few polls of current enlisted men and women show more registered as Democrats than Republicans (Independents outweigh both by a large margin). My father was a WWII veteran who volunteered at age 36 to fight the Nazis, and I served my country as well for four years in special forces. And we are both life-long liberal Democrats.
By the way, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt had this to say about patriotism:
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.”
Of course, Samuel Johnson famously said, in 1775, “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel”.
I’m sure you will not post this comment, because it contradicts the demonization of the Left and reveals that Americans come in all shapes, sizes, colors and beliefs, which is what makes this great country of ours what it is.
We should be able to disagree about ideology and politics without being at each other’s throats. I do not question your patriotism or sincerity, yet you seem incapable of granting me the same courtesy. That does not serve this country nor the principles of freedom and democracy for which our brave sons and daughters gives their lives.
BTW, Markos Moulitsas, founder and owner of Daily Kos, is himself a military veteran, as are many of his top bloggers. I don’t even like the guy and do not post on their site, which is too intolerant and angry for my tastes (the same reason I don’t post on LGF or freerepublic), but if you are going to criticize people, at least do it honestly with respect for all the facts.
Just because someone is a Veteran, doesn’t give them a life long free pass to act like an asshole.
John Kerry served in Vietnam, but then came home and disgraced himself and his service.
David,
You may need to re-read my comments after the quote. I made the distinction between Democrats and the far-left loons.
The far-left are a despicable bunch that is absolutely anti-military and anti-America.
Unfortunately, all the traditional Democrats of the Bill Clinton/Joe Lieberman variety are being pushed out of the party.
Unlike left-wing websites I will happily post your comments. I welcome opposing viewpoints, unlike college campuses where those with opposing viewpoints are shouted down and prevented from speaking.