Defining Patriotism Down
Presidential wannabe John Edwards wants YOU to help “reclaim patriotismâ€. And just how do you do that? Well, the answer might seem counterintuitive to those of us in whichever of the two Americas it is where protesting the war on Memorial Day seems a bit loathsome and opportunistic.
In the other America, though, here’s how you can reclaim patriotism from people who actually support the troops rather than condescend to them, support the Iraqi people rather than agitate for our country to abandon and betray them, and support the Commander in Chief and General Petraeus rather than work tirelessly to undermine US foreign policy for political gains—and doing so based on a husk of lies and collective amnesia that fancies itself a glittering beacon of freedom (approximately 24,000 sq. ft worth, if I’m remembering correctly...)!
10 Things You Can Do Over Memorial Weekend to Support the Troops and End the War
Throughout our history, military men and women and their families have sacrificed for America. The troops in Iraq and their families continue to sacrifice today. So this Memorial Day Weekend, John Edwards is asking the American people to give some part of their weekend in return—to honor and remember all those who have gone before in service to our country, and to let our government know we want to honor our troops by ending the war and bringing them home.
Translation: We want to honor our troops by insuring that history views them as failures. Which is cool, because at least we’ll feel good about ourselves— and let’s face it: we could give two shits about those ridiculous jarheads.
This Memorial Day weekend, John Edwards is asking that we all take responsibility for the country we love and the brave men and women who protect us. As citizens, let’s volunteer in support of our troops, and offer our service to honor theirs. As Americans, let’s take a moment to join in prayer for our troops. And as patriots, let’s gather together this weekend and make our voices heard. It’s up to us. If we are loud enough, and clear enough, we can end this war. Because it really is possible to stop a president who believes he can do no wrong—it just takes people with the courage to do what’s right.
Do what’s right, eh? Here’s a reminder, Mr Edwards, in case you’re actually beginning to believe your own lies:
MATTHEWS: Let me ask but the war, because I know these are all students and a lot of guys the age of these students are fighting over there and cleaning up over there, and they’re doing the occupation.
Were we right to go to this war alone, basically without the Europeans behind us? Was that something we had to do?
EDWARDS: I think that we were right to go. I think we were right to go to the United Nations. I think we couldn’t let those who could veto in the Security Council hold us hostage.
And I think Saddam Hussein, being gone is good. Good for the American people, good for the security of that region of the world, and good for the Iraqi people.
MATTHEWS: If you think the decision, which was made by the president, when basically he saw the French weren’t with us and the Germans and the Russians weren’t with us, was he right to say, “We’re going anyway�
EDWARDS: I stand behind my support of that, yes.
MATTHEWS: You believe in that?
EDWARDS: Yes.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about-Since you did support the resolution and you did support that ultimate solution to go into combat and to take over that government and occupy that country. Do you think that you, as a United States Senator, got the straight story from the Bush administration on this war? On the need for the war? Did you get the straight story?
EDWARDS: Well, the first thing I should say is I take responsibility for my vote. Period. And I did what I did based upon a belief, Chris, that Saddam Hussein’s potential for getting nuclear capability was what created the threat. That was always the focus of my concern. Still is the focus of my concern.
So did I get misled? No. I didn’t get misled.
MATTHEWS: Did you get an honest reading on the intelligence?
EDWRADS: But now we’re getting to the second part of your question.
I think we have to get to the bottom of this. I think there’s clear inconsistency between what’s been found in Iraq and what we were told.
And as you know, I serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee. So it wasn’t just the Bush administration. I sat in meeting after meeting after meeting where we were told about the presence of weapons of mass destruction. There is clearly a disconnect between what we were told and what, in fact, we found there.
MATTHEWS: If you knew last October when you had to cast an aye or nay vote for this war, that we would be unable to find weapons of mass destruction after all these months there, would you still have supported the war?
EDWARDS: It wouldn’t change my views. I said before, I think that the threat here was a unique threat. It was Saddam Hussein, the potential for Saddam getting nuclear weapons, given his history and the fact that he started the war before.
MATTHEWS: Do you feel now that you have evidence in your hands that he was on the verge of getting nuclear weapons?
EDWARDS: No, I wouldn’t go that far.
MATTHES: What would you say?
EDWARDS: What I would say is there’s a decade long pattern of an effort to get nuclear capability, from the former Soviet Union, trying to get access to scientists…
MATTHEWS: What about Africa?
EDWARDS: … trying to get-No. I don’t think so. At least not from the evidence.
MATTHEWS: Were you misled by the president in the State of the Union address on the argument that Saddam Hussein was trying get uranium from Niger?
EDWARDS: I guess the answer to that is no.
I did not put a lot of stock in that.
MATTHEWS: But you didn’t believe-But you weren’t misled?
EDWARDS: No, I was not misled because I didn’t put a lot of stock in to it begin with.
As I said before, I think what happened here is, for over a decade, there is strong, powerful evidence, which I still believe is true, that Saddam Hussein had been trying to get nuclear capability. Either from North Korea, from the former Soviet Union, getting access to scientists, trying to get access to raw fissile material. I don’t-that I don’t have any question about.
MATTHEWS: The United States has had a long history of nonintervention, of basically taking the “don’t tread on me and if you don’t we’ll leave you alone.†We broke with that tradition for Iraq. What is your standard for breaking with tradition of nonintervention?
EDWARDS: When somebody like Saddam Hussein presents a direct threat to the security of the American people and, in this case, the security of a region of the world that I think is critical.
(thanks to Rightwinged)
What kind of cynical political beast would profess to all that—noting a direct threat, recognizing a Security Council that was acting out of its own financial interests, claiming that his own reading of the intelligence led him to believe Iraq that was attempting to acquire nuclear weapons, and saying categorically that no, he wasn’t misled in his vote to go to war—and then call for us to pull out, leaving the Iraq people hanging out to dry, and virtually insuring that the middle east becomes further destabilized?
Or, to put it more bluntly, how craven and ego-driven does one have to be to sell out two entire countries for the remote opportunity he might pick off a few primary victories by pandering to the anti-war base and maybe secure himself a vice presidential nod?
And yes, that was rhetorical.
What else does Edwards want you to do for Memorial Day weekend in order to “reclaim patriotism†from actual patriots? Glad you asked:
Get local, get active, and get outdoors. Walk the streets of your neighborhood. Get everyone you know to sign a petition to your local government body—for instance, your town or city council or neighborhood association—to pass a resolution requesting that Congress use its funding authority to support our troops and end the war. Bring the petition to the next meeting. [...]
Send our troops a taste of home. Go shopping with your kids, your friends, your neighbors, and buy a whole bunch of stuff that would make a soldier happy to receive (check for restrictions). Then go through a site like Anysoldier.com, OpGratitude.com, or TroopCarePackage.com to send your package to a soldier in Iraq. Take photos and tell us about it.
Gather in public. On Memorial Day, get your friends, kids, co-workers, neighbors, aunts, uncles, grandfathers, grandmothers, and anyone and everyone you know together to publicly support the troops and end the war. Be sure to check with your local authority for any permits you need for public gatherings. Contact local media to publicize your event. Before you get started, please take a moment of silence to honor the fallen. And during your event, make sure you conduct yourself respectfully—both for those serving in Iraq and the memory of the brave servicemen and women that Memorial Day honors. Share your plans here.
Pray. Organize a prayer vigil for our troops at your house of worship. Tell us about it.
Make your voice heard in Washington. Call President Bush at (202) 456-1111 or email him at comments@whitehouse.gov. Call your Representative and U.S. Senator and ask them to use their funding power to support our troops and end the war. Tell us about it.
Get vocal. Buy a bunch of poster-board and markers. At a picnic or with family and friends, make signs that say “SUPPORT THE TROOPS - END THE WAR.†Bring them to your local Memorial Day parade. Then take a digital photo of yourself and your family or friends holding up the poster and tell us about it. We’ll include it in a “Democracy Photo Album†on our site.
Greet a vet. Before Memorial Day Weekend gets started, get in touch with the Yellow Ribbon Fund and volunteer to provide welcome-back services and mentorships to injured soldiers returning home. Tell us about it.
Say thank you. Send a thank-you note to our troops through organizations like Let’s Say Thanks, A Million Thanks, or Operation Care Packages. Better yet - gather folks together to write thank-you notes at a picnic. Tell us about it.
Help an injured vet. Before Memorial Day Weekend gets underway, contact your local VA Hospital and learn how you can volunteer. Tell us about it.
Light up the night. Get your friends and family together and organize a Memorial Day candlelight vigil to support our troops and end the war. Share your plans here
In other words, turn Memorial Day weekend into a sixties-style war protest, publicize it, photograph it, pat yourself on the back for presuming to speak for soldiers whom you don’t speak for, then have a couple of hot dogs and some cole slaw before emailing out links to John Edwards website, where you can point you pals to the photo of you essentially spitting in the face of the men and women fighting in Iraq.
Of course, it’s a loving spit. Because you’ve prayed for them. And presumed to dictate their mission. For their own good. Because you care so much and all.
Funny how Edwards didn’t believe any of this nonsense when he was last running for President, isn’t it? But then, everybody’s got to find his niche. And Edwards and his wife (incidentally, I wonder if she’ll say a prayer for the Republican across the street who so frightens her and brings down her property values with his icky guns and his poor landscaping choices) have chosen as their niche the very anti-war “progressive†base who is willing to ignore all that came before just so long as “their candidate†is saying and doing the things they demand he say and do now.
And Edwards is “their†candidate (hi, Amanda!), inasmuch as they own his ass. He is, to put it frankly, a political whore. And those who support him are every bit as morally bankrupt as he is.
Now if you’ll excuse me for a bit, I need to go bathe.
http://proteinwisdom.com/index.php?/weblog/entry/23077/
