because I support individuals.
I support our individual soldiers in their right to live.
I support Afghani people in their right to rule their country as they see fit, just as we here in the United States did when we declared independence.
I support military families and their right to have a decent life, and if necessary to fight in a conflict that truly defends our country.
I do not "support the troops", because it's just a slogan to justify a useless war based on lies and on profits for the few at the expense of the many.
I am a veteran. I enlisted in 1963, and got out in 1966 without ever firing a shot in anger.
As soon as I got out, I turned into a complete pacifist. I still am.
I believe that the present wars that we're fighting are entirely manufactured conflicts, invented for the purpose of giving business to the military-industrial complex and the people that profit from it, such as Dick Cheney And all the other CEOs of companies that supply our fighting forces.
I find it hard to believe that anyone would support these conflicts. I find it really hard to believe the Democrats, and especially Democratic politicians, could in all honesty support these conflicts.
I can only assume that they're being paid off handsomely by our "defense" companies.
Now, finally, "some Democrats" are actually questioning the war in Afghanistan and the reports that say that perhaps, maybe, some day, with luck, if things don't change for the worse, we may turn the corner and be able to get out within a couple of decades. At least, that's what those reports sound like to me.
I see no justification for the war in Iraq; I see no justification for the war in Afghanistan, except for the profits. When I hear that gasoline delivered to the front lines costs $400 a gallon, and that BP is one of the big suppliers of that gasoline, I feel really angry. I feel angry at myself that I've allowed this to happen, I feel really sad for all the people that have died on both sides because I was not active enough. I did not agitate enough, even though I went into the street quite a few times at the beginning of both of these wars.
And I feel a little bit powerless, although the other day I voted for someone that I know is antiwar. Progress is just too slow, the killing just goes on and on, and my heart cries with every useless death.
Oh, and my wallet cries too, as I realize that the trillions spent on these wars could have been spent on healthcare, our healthcare, yours and mine and everyone else's in this country. These trillions could have been spent on building an infrastructure that would make us less dependent on oil. Some of it could have been used to extend jobless benefits for people who desperately need them. We have so many needs in this country that are not being addressed; even Rwanda has a public health care system, for God's sake!
I'm really tired of this. And that's why I don't march in lockstep with those who "support the troops". No, I do not "support the troops"; I support individuals. I support every soldier who yearns to go home from a totally useless conflict, useless except for those people who make money from it and the well paid (read: bribed) politicians who support them. I support every Afghani citizen who wants peace at last. And I support us, the people, who end up paying for it all.
Peace
Update: I wrote This in a comment, but I think you have to post it in the diary itself.
"support the troops" is, in my opinion, a political slogan that means "don't question our war".
Well, I am questioning it. I'm trying to be polite about it, but I am absolutely committed to saving as many lives as possible, on all sides.
If that means getting flamed because you see me as non-patriotic, so be it. Respectfully I believe you are wrong, but that's a chance I have to take.