El Hubbo and I attended a Support Our Troops Rally on Saturday at the capitol in St. Paul.
Beautiful day. Governor Pawlenty and Congressman Coleman spoke well. It did – unfortunately – turn into a pro-war rally. The largest evidence of this came in the shouting down of the first speaker, a Muslim woman who supports the war. She made mention of the need to look at the reasons Americans are so hated overseas; her further comments were drowned out by loud booing.
El Hubbo and I have no relatives in the military anymore. It was strange to hear the governor ask for family members of troops to raise their hands and not raise ours.
We are both praying for a quick end to hostilities.
I’ve been to both anti-war rallies and support our troops rallies. Both are important to me. I may be opposed to the war, but I have nothing against the troops who are there - and it’s a tough message to send these days, which is why I generally avoid the war threads here.
One of my friends finds this odd - she seems to think that you can’t have it both ways.
I haven’t been aware of any rallies in my area besides the anti-war ones from the college students. I guess they’re either not happening, or not making press.
These “Support the Troops” rallies have turned into “Support the War” or, in some cases, “Right Wing” rallies. It’s unfortunate. I am opposed to the war but have nothing but respect for the brave men and women who are over there risking their lives merely because it is their job to do so. There is nothing mutually exclusive about opposing the war and supporting the troops. I hate that they have been sent over there to do this thing, but I support every individual soldier, grunt and officer who is over there, and do not condemn them for doing what they have been ordered to do.
I don’t get involved in any of the “support our troops” stuff because I don’t support them. I don’t support the choices they made which landed them in the positions they’re in and I don’t support the actions of either them or their commanders or the president who put them there. I don’t support their actions. I have little choice but to financially “support” them through taxation (if I had more courage I would refuse to pay income tax but I really don’t want to go to prison) but there is no way I’m going to try to make their lives easier by sending them game boys or phone cards or whatever else it is that people are collecting to send to them. Choices have consequences and if the consequence of your choice to engage in military action in Iraq is that you don’t get to speak to your family or watch the lastest movie, learn to live with it.
I suppose I’ll be flamed or pitted for this sentiment or for the baldness with which I’m expressing it. So be it.
Well yeah. You can definitely support someone without agreeing with what they’re doing. I mean, I support my friends, even though we disagree on a lot of things. Don’t you?
Well, I will be attending a support the troops rally Saturday. BTW, I do support the war and the troops fighting it. Right now, my father is stationed on the USS Kittyhawk, and my uncle could get called up from the guard.
** Otto, ** I don’t support some decisions my boss makes, but nevertheless, I must obey, because that’s my job. I’m sure that a good portion of the troops would rather not be there, but they signed up willingly, and must obey their commanders, regardless of their personal feelings on the matter. I don’t blame the troops. I blame our president.
I don’t support this war, but I do feel for those who must fight it. Iraq is hot, sandy, and miserable. If by sending out some lip balm, I can make someone’s day a tiny bit brighter, then, hey, I’ll chalk it up to a good deed done. Why make it harder on those who have to do the “dirty work” by ignoring them?
I don’t seriously think our liberty is in any way threatened by Iraq. (If anything, it’s at risk from all of the new “Patriot” laws being passed, but that’s another thread.)
If our liberty and freedom were sincerely jeapordized, I’d fight to protect it with my bare hands.
I’m against the war, but I “support the troops.” They didn’t decide to start the war. I hope they do their job well, with minimal casualties to both sides. I hope they get home safely and are welcomed as people who put their lives at risk defending us, even by people who don’t agree with this particular engagement.