The false poetry of war. Disgusting euphemisms, at best.

I am a stalwart "support the troops' type. Not yellow ribbons or jingositic bullshit. Just an honest appreciation of, and support for, the people who volunteer to serve their country.

In the frenzy of false patriotism that is sweeping our country today, we find ourselves subjected to words and terms and phrases that once held meaning but have, of late, been prostituted in support of Gin Blossom George's False War. These phrases affect me in many ways ...... none of them positive.

I am alternately creeped out, angered, disgusted, or caused to laugh aloud. I find the words a cheap substitute for 'supporters' to actually have to do anything in the way of support.

The worst of the lot is "In harm's way".

"Brave young Americans"

"America's finest"

"Those who have fallen"

"Boots on the ground"

"Surge"

How about a more honest use of words?

Dead soldiers.

Horribly wounded.

Misused military.

Survivors of the carnage.

Mentally disturbed.

Escalation.

PTSD

Agent Orange (an oldie but goodie, that)

Homeless veterans.

Failed strategy.

Unclear mission statement.

Broken marriages.

Orphaned kids.

Amputee.

Permanently debilitating head wound.

I don't know why, on Father's Day, these thoughts entered my consciousness. But there they are.

Awful, ugly, honest thoughts.

or "protecting our freedom".

Bull-fucking-shit!! If they were really fighting for--or protecting--our freedom they would be dragging president shit-for-brains out of White House.

due to being horribly eviscerated. this isn't the US anymore.

we haven't been "free" for a long time.

Good Will Hunting
written by Matt Damon & Ben Affleck

Will: "Why shouldn't I work for the N.S.A.? That's a tough one, but I'll take a shot. Say I'm working at the N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people that I never met and that I never had no problem with get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Send in the marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number was called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some kid from Southie takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes home to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And of course the oil companies used the skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them but it ain't helping my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. They're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin' play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's walking to the fuckin' job interviews, which sucks 'cause the schrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorroids. And meanwhile he's starvin' 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure, fuck it, while I'm at it, why not just shoot my buddy, take his job and give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president."

The language one hears these days from the false patriots is OBSCENE.

..... false patriots, indeed. How many of them, when they had the chance to serve the country, to give back a little of what they got just for being them, to do something without being asked ..... how many of them volunteered, signed up, served?

There's no dishonor in not joining the military. That's not what I mean. There is, however, dishonor in cheerleading a war of aggression and sending the other guys kids over there, when, in fact, they never served when they had the chance.

Fuck 'em

False patriots ..... indeed.

As if those poor guys were waving the flag, singing "God Bless America", and decided to die as "martyrs" instead of writhing in agony and wishing they could live for 5 more minutes.

These guys didn't volunteer to protect oil or vindicate Poppy.