A Fourth of July Cease-Fire

Avoiding fireworks

by Thomas Lindaman
07/01/04

Since the beginning of the War with Iraq, we've heard a familiar refrain from many members of the anti-war crowd: "I support the troops, not the President." This has been met with a shower of derision from conservatives, who say it's not possible to be for the troops, but against the war. And for the longest time, I thought they were right. After all, the President is the Commander In Chief, the fifty-three star general of the military to whom everyone wearing a uniform is accountable.

But, I've always had a niggling voice in the back of my head telling me that it is possible to be anti-war and pro-troop. (Of course, this voice also told me to bet against Smarty Jones in all but the Belmont Stakes. Now, I'm in the hole $25 grand and some guy with the middle name "the Bull Terrier" is coming over to break my...okay, that was a little too much personal information...)

Seriously, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense because I took the same position the anti-war people are during the Kosovo debacle. I had some legitimate questions about our exit strategy, our bombing strategy, whether we even had a strategy, and so on. And for that, I got called a "traitor" and "un-American" because I criticized a President during wartime. (Funny how these are the same folks who are now crying like Halle Barry cutting an onion before accepting an Oscar when their crap gets thrown back at them.) However, my reason for opposing the war was one based on love of this country, not hatred for Bill Clinton.

That's what seems to be missing from a lot of the anti-war folks these days. When you ask them to expound upon why they oppose the war in Iraq, they will go off on some rant where we're secretly trying to take over Iraq's oil fields so Bush's pals at Haliburton make a profit and throw some money into Dick Cheney's bank account, which he will then use to build an underground lair to keep the Mole People enslaved at the core of the Earth. And then they start getting really weird. If it's not an elaborate kickback scheme they weave, it's usually something about Bush being a "drooling chimp puppet of Big Business" or "an illiterate cowboy who prefers force to diplomacy to get what we want." I could go on, but the comments usually follow a simple pattern even Ray Charles could see: Bush bad, we good.

This is not to say all anti-war folks are like this. I've had some very good conversations with people from all parts of the political spectrum who have legitimate questions about the need to go into Iraq. Hell, even I have some questions, not the least of which being why we federalized airport security. What is the new security standard? You have to take a week off work to stand at the airport terminal as people who couldn't hack the high stress of the DMV probe you in ways that would make extraterrestrials blush? Even so, these folks and I take issue with the policies in place, not the man who put the policies there. I don't have a beef with you guys (although I wouldn't mind splitting a nice sirloin with some of the females who feel this way, especially if you're blonde and like to be kissed on the...okay, too much personal info again. My bad.)

But I do have a problem with you anti-war types who use the war as a cover for your abject hatred of the President. Listen, you guys have the First Amendment right to dissent, but would it kill you to have a reason for your dissent? (And, no, "Bush is a chimp criminal" isn't a legitimate reason.) When you cut down the President, whether at an anti-war rally or in the mainstream press, that information gets sent over to our men and women in Iraq fighting on our behalf. What do you think that does to troop morale? If you're still a little hazy on that part, let me spell it out for you: it makes them bluer than a Smurf being hung at the North Pole. This stuff has a big negative impact on the people we're depending on to defend us. And if you think this makes them want to re-up when it comes time, I have swamp land in Iraq to sell you. (Oh, if you're interested in this land, my asking price is $25 grand.) Think about what you're saying and doing and what impact it will have on these people. Without them fighting for you, your right to dissent would last as long as a Britney Spears wedding.

As for you conservatives who think you can't support the troops without supporting the war, I want you to take a deep breath and think about this for a moment. People who oppose the war in Iraq aren't necessarilly anti-American. A good number of them are, but you can't paint them all with a wide brush like that. I know how you guys get burned when some lunkhead modern liberal tries to equate you with David Duke "because he was a Republican once," so why buy into that same logic when dealing with the anti-war folks? Not all of them are Michael Moore types, and you might just learn a thing or two in the process.

In the meantime, just for the 4th of July holiday, I want to declare a cease fire on all the hostilities between the anti-war and pro-war folks. There will be enough fireworks going off in the sky that night that we don't need any metaphorical ones going off at the family reunion at Uncle Earl's. And while we're at it, let's take a moment to think about our soldiers and send a silent thank you to them wherever they are. You may not agree with why they're fighting, but it's essential that they know that we're thinking of them and hoping they all come back safe. People on both sides have children fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan, and fighting over their role or attacking those who disagree with us won't solve a damn thing. Instead, we should all be grateful that they're taking up arms to protect us and our right to disagree.

But with that right comes the responsibility to use our heads when we speak our minds. Opposing the war is fine, but stringing together obsenities directed at President Bush ultimately hurts your cause by making you look like a bunch of unhappy toddlers with a bad case of diaper rash. (Hey, maybe that's why Michael Moore's so cranky all the time...) It's time that we turn down the volume on the "Bush sucks" side and have a legitimate discussion. Then, we can all voice our opinions, in favor or in opposition to the war, and know that the disagreement comes from a genuine love of the country.

And that's the Bottom Line.