I admit, I'm a Socialist, Communist, Maoist, Marxist & all the other 'ists' conservatives call me...

I am a veteran. I served my country in the US Army. But every right wing radio host would call me a socialist, communist, and the rest because of my liberal beliefs. Rush Limbaugh even said liberals are all evil. So even though I served my county I am evil too.

But all of those right wing radio hosts who never served condemn people like me and profess to be the nation's true patriots. They claim to be the true stewards of our Constitution, Bill of Rights and the American way of life. But they never put their lives on the line. When it was their time to serve their country they either received deferments, special treatment or decided serving in the military and dying for one's country is for other people, not them.

They are all war hawks who love war as long as others die in them. They claim to support our troops, but then cheer as our brave soldiers are sent to foreign lands to die in countries which never threatened the United States. People like them are responsible for over 5,000 dead US soldiers and tens of thousands soldiers who have been physically mutilated or psychologically destroyed. Suicides are at record highs probably because our soldiers are being sent to war zones over and over again, with each of their involvements in wanton carnage being destructive to their spirits.

Conservatives cheered on every one of Bush's chants for war, and even when Bush challenged our enemy to 'Bring it on', essentially daring enemies to kill our soldiers, they cheered again. They are also responsible for the deaths of up to hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis. I've heard one estimate that 5 times as many Iraqis were killed under King George's rule of Iraq than under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. So who was the greater tyrant?

If any democratic veteran runs for political office conservatives do hatchet jobs on them like they did to Max Cleland, a decorated war hero who lost three limbs while serving in Vietnam. Conservatives put Senator Cleland next to images of Osama Bin Laden and said he betrayed his country. They also 'swift boated' Senator John Kerry, who is a decorated soldier with three purple hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star he earned while serving in the Vietnam War. But military honors mean nothing to conservatives. Their conservative agenda always trumps honor, decency or the truth.

What kind of people are conservatives? It is rare when any conservative dares to condemn the words from anyone on right wing radio. They seem to cling to every word uttered by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, a coward of monumental proportions. Has the conservative movement so mutated that they have lost all decency or even sanity? I suppose so, because they react to me like I am a traitor even though I served my country while they cowardly avoided military service. What makes their attacks even more repulsive is the fact that they cowardly avoided serving so they could later market hatred, racism, fear and anger to their fellow gullible conservatives.

Anyway, I just had to get that off my chest. I am tired of conservatives hijacking patriotism, 'family values' and even God. It's especially nauseating since their actions betray their every word. While I believe fighting for one's country during war or by protesting with the written word are true signs of allegiance to my country, conservatives believe waving flags made by communist Chinese slaves and putting "I support the troop' magnets on their cars are the only real signs of patriotism.

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:grouphug:

Like to imagine themselves as being "courageous" when they DEFY the LIBERAL MEDIA and call for ever more wars.

The reason the most aggressive neocon types tend not to have any military record themselves has to do with a difference in moral development - most people who actually fight in wars have a pretty serious moral code (not all of them) - otherwise they wouldn't be prepared to risk death for it. If you take morality seriously, you'll tend to find it harder to take sweeping unjustifiable positions about war and peace and life and death. If you are a moral coward personally, it's much easier to be an extremist.

Or something like that, that's not a very clear statement of my point, but I do think it's true, in general - hence the chickenhawk phenomenon

my Peace position, because it is as free and honest a moral decision as I as an individual am capable of making, then I MUST yield that possibility to those who have decided the opposite, which, like the value that I place on Peace, they have staked their own lives on, rather than abdicating it to others.

The crux of these kinds of questions lies in "free" and "honest". *IF* someone is making a choice as free as they can possibly be and *IF* they are making that choice also honestly, s/he will be fully aware and informed, so the decision will have its roots in the closest approximation of reality possible and their own responsibility will present itself to be lived or not, depending upon his/her character.

If I cannot yield that possibility to others, I also cannot require it of them for myself.

..............................

We have one of those retired career military desk-jobs in my family and his understanding of the sacrifices of combat it completely limited to the absolute and total willingness to kill in the name of _____________________ (in the name of the willingness to kill, as it turns out). He cannot imagine what I stated above about Freedom and Honesty, believe me I have tried, mourn though he does for the honor and purity of the military sacrificed to careerism.

then they are willing to kill you, and are, therefore, a threat to your freedom.

Somehow, our society needs to purge those willing.

:sarcasm:

I am a proud "lefty" and peace activist and have seen many of our service men and women disparaged for their participation in the military by others on the left. As much as I despise violence and war and have always "Imagined" living in peace, the reality is that there must be a military to defend this country. Thank you for being willing to sacrifice your life for our way of life.

...the idea that you must serve to discuss foreign and defense issues isn't really something I'd agree with.

So Limbaugh, Hannity, etc, all avoided service - so what? There are tons of veterans who are just as right wing with the same opinions ready to fill their spots. Are you forgetting that these right wing talk show hosts tailor their shows for the traditional, religious audience - huge numbers of whom are active duty or vets.

I get your argument, but I really don't think it holds water. It would be like if I told you that you couldn't discuss police issues because you were never a cop. I mean, you do live in this country and have as much right as the next person to air your beliefs.

"What kind of people are conservatives? It is rare when any conservative dares to condemn the words from anyone on right wing radio."

I think it is because they believe it. Why condemn what they agree with? These people still think the Iraq war was a perfectly good idea.

"So even though I served my county I am evil too."

The smarter ones would argue your ideas are bad or evil - not necessarily you. What do you consider all the hundreds of thousands of right wing vets? If your a liberal you, at the very least, consider their ideas terrible. DU posters are constantly calling Republicans evil, so how is it really any different when they do the same to us?

"I admit, I'm a Socialist, Communist, Maoist, Marxist & all the other 'ists'"

I mean, if they disagree with your political beliefs they do have a right to denounce them, just as you have a right to denounce theirs. Hopefully your not actually a communist, maoist or marxist considering those ideologies have failed everywhere they've ever been tried. I attack marxist ideology too, not because I think anyone is evil - rather I do so because history demonstrates it just doesn't work and tends to result in brutality, totalitarianism, and oppression.

"Anyway, I just had to get that off my chest. I am tired of conservatives hijacking patriotism"

I completely agree. And trust me, I am from a military family and have to deal with it all the time. These people simple don't get the idea of progressing to a better day. They see change as ruinous instead of desirable. Those right wingers who claim the mantle of patriotism are the same people who would have blocked civil rights, needed government safety nets, clean air and other environmental legislation, etc, etc - all things we look back on and applaud as big steps forward for our society and people. It has been the left all along growing our country, fighting to make sure everyone can participate in our union, etc.

Anyway, I know what your saying, I just felt a bit argumentative ;) Thanks for the interesting post.

It's a definite trend that the present American form of ultra-rightism and specifically neoconservative type militarism correlates with cowardice and inexperience with regard to actual military service.

If you have to have someone on the trigger end of a gun in this world, it should at least be those with a conscious.

Thank you for your service.

And just because a soldier is conservative wouldn't leave him or her lacking a conscience.

My BF is a vet and--yes--he's fairly conservative.

He's also one of the sweetest people I've ever known.

I'm probably much older than you, but I say that only to make a couple statements. In my long lifetime, I have observed that the more someone professes to be religious, patriotic, charitable, etc., the less they fill the bill. I've never figured out what there is about it, but time and time again, I've seen it work out that way.

We (Democrats) were made to feel we weren't patriotic unless we supported the wars that George the W started and never finished. If we didn't fight to put prayer back in school, we weren't religious...we weren't worthy to be blessed by their God. I, for one, am sick to death of it.

I hope you realize most DUrs supported the military, even though they weren't vigorously waving a flag over the war. Just because I don't start a prayer circle doesn't mean I'm not religious. And, since I look out for my fellow man/woman/child, I consider myself much more charitable than the Republicans, who seem to cringe anytime a down and out person is helped by their almighty tax dollars.

Hang in there. Thanks again for your service and for your words. Let's just hope and pray we're still alive to see the day this crazy world is straightened out.

Bless you.

Cause if you're not - sorry, only a half-dose of hate for you.

I can't recall if I welcomed you Home or not, but 'Welcome Home, Brother'.

With racial pride, sad hearts they hide.
Thinking only of themselves.
They shun the light; they think they're right;
living in their empty shells.

- from Lost in a Lost World by the Moody Blues. I listened to it yesterday on the ride from work and came home to read your post. Somewhere overnight the connection was made. These people are lost.

Thanks for your service, by the way.

...or have the validity of that opinion considered at the same level as those who have "served".

while i agree with your sentiments on right wing radio and conservatives, i think it would strengthen your point to not resort to your "service" as grounds for the validity of your opinion.

To have gone through the indoctrination and come out with a functional brain is a feat.
:kick: & R

chickenhawks who preach war/patriotism/nationalism from their safe perches behind the microphone while acting as if everyone else is a cowardly communist if they don't believe as they do.

I also tend to agree with the comments of Imajika that many (far too many, really) of our political opposites are former or current military. I think it's fair to say that the conservative, pro-war types are more likely to remain in the service as careerists than are liberal thinkers who cannot justify serving in a corrupt military that serves the interests of Empire rather than the interests of freedom and democracy.

Now especially, in the era of the all-volunteer military, we are far more likely to see veterans who support the exploits of our Imperial masters. Their voices carry weight with family, friends, and associates, and have a corrosive effect on our national discourse regarding the use of military force. When you combine that with the immense influence of Military-Intelligence-Corporate Complex dollars on our economy and our politics, you have a potent and toxic antidote to sensible foreign policy. This is a direct result of the failure of Democratic party leaders to recognize the dangers of a military/professional warrior class in a democracy. Veterans who saw the lawlessness and immorality of the conflicts in Vietnam and Iraq have been some of the most outspoken and influential advocates for saner policies.

It is no accident that the saner voices of liberal veterans have been silenced.

Recommend this post.

At least that's what I've been told innumerable times.

Do all of us vets a favor and repost this on Veterans Day. I'd love to read it again.

.........to be run as a Letter to the Editor.