Adrift? “War” supporters feel… adrift? Lost?
The Oregonian devoted front-page, above-the-fold coverage to the minority viewpoint of Oregonians who support the Iraqi occupation.
Link to a locally-archived .PDF of page one and page two, as they appeared on the Oregonian’s useless, only-good-for-14-days website.
I read the article with an open mind, hoping that these minority voices, through the reporter, would inform me of their reasons for continuing to support a failed policy that has diminished America’s moral standing in the world and has endangered all of us.
The first revelation was not a positive one of support, but rather the stark admission from Elfrieda Plumondore, whose son was killed in the post-war occupation in the midst of the Iraqi Civil War we’ve caused, that those who disagree with her are, in fact, stupid.
Nice.
Reading further, I find that another occupation supporter feels that having our troops continue to occupy Iraq prevents the spread of terrorism throughout the Middle East. And I also learn of the viewpoint that leaving Iraq will mean that our soldiers will have died for no reason.
My first reading of this article, in fact, seemed to show no valid argument for continued occupation of Iraq. “War” supporters (the war has been over for several years, people) have abandoned the pretenses the Cheney Administration used to mislead America into this folly, like removal of the threat of “mushroom clouds” or “weapons of mass destruction”, or the lies of ties between mortal enemies like fundamentalist Osama bin Laden and secularist Saddam Hussein. No, pretty much the only reasons left to support having our troops spread thin, given no armor or weapons to fight, and being treated like garbage when they return home, wounded, is…
…fear.
On reflection, I thank the Oregonian for so brilliantly illuminating the mindset of the vanishing species known as the Bush- or war-supporter. They appear so frightened, so beaten and cowardly, so weak, because they are frightened, beaten, cowardly, and weak. They would rather have our sons and daughters dead or dying on some far-away battlefield, or bleeding out their life’s blood in rat-infested hospitals out of sight of the lenses of the Nightly News, in the forlorn hope of simply living another day.
I didn’t understand them before. I couldn’t fathom their continued support. But now, the choice of words by the Oregonian have spelled it out for me.
“War” supporters WANT to feel adrift. They give their whole-hearted support to the thugs and criminals in our nation’s capital so that they can feast on fear and isolation. They’re pissing their pants under their beds. They embody the goal of “the terrorists” by embodying terror.
I couldn’t be more proud to be part of the majority of Americans who have embraced courage and engagement with the world. Now we must force the Cheney Administration to take action. We want our sons and daughters back. We want the moral standing of our country back. We’ve managed to take it back from the cowardly fellow countrymen; next we will take it back from the national media, and then our leaders.