Morning Coffee (72)

It’s the last day of the second to last month in 2007, and we’re still here, sipping piping hot Coffee. Good for us. I really wish I could quit my job and just do spectacularly awesome Morning Coffee’s for a living. I’d be the Starbucks of the blogosphere; making delicious opinion lattes and wonderful cynicism frappucinos for the world to enjoy. But alas, I have bills to pay, and the Morning Coffee, for all its greatness, simply doesn’t bring in more than zero dollars a month.

American Legionaries – Unwitting Victims:

There is a site I visit once a day, maybe less, the main crux of which is nude women with tattoos and piercing. It’s classy stuff if you’re a biker or a goth. But lately, I’ve visited solely for their current events writers. They’ve got a pretty decent set up there. I think there are 30 writers or so who opine regularly. I call it pseudo-journalism, because they take themselves very seriously, but aren’t really bothered with things like journalistic integrity or other inconveniences. Much of what they write on isn’t really news at all, but a bunch of uber-liberal opinion (what do you expect from a site such as this?). Don’t get me wrong, a few cite sources (links), and most are intelligent and articulate. Some even make good points. Then, site members are semi-welcome to post comments about the articles, usually provided that you agree with the author and/or hive. Woe unto those who do not. My point though isn’t to explain the site or why I go there to read things, however. Let’s just say that I like being exposed to stupid, er…opinions different than mine. I digress…

There are so many “good” articles that it’s hard to pick just one about which to write. However, yesterday I read one about Al Gore’s meeting with President Bush. The author was wondering, in their snide, sarcastically demeaning way, what the topic of the conversation was between the two. His (her?) take was that Bush was a blithering idiot and merely wasted the regal Al Gore’s time, and he even provided us with a possible script of what took place. A discussion of the actual article is not worth my time, but it’s the comments posted below it that I want to address. A short back-story before I get to my main point. Some poster, a member of the Air Force, made mention to the audience at large to stop whining that their guy lost (which is what some were doing in their snide, sarcastic, hipster way). Well, wouldn’t you know it, the community jumped on this guy pretty good. He stated that he was glad Bush won (imagine the argument that elicited – robbed election, I dare say!), and that he was better off because of it, despite deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Then someone said, “well, you’re in the Air Force, why don’t you ask some soldiers and Marines!” He retorted that he knew soldiers and Marines and they too were okay with, *gasp*, doing their duty. Then someone whipped out the big guns…they pointed him to the Veterans Against the Iraq War (VIAW) website, as if that were the end-all, be-all of soldierly opinion and sentiment.

My point, which I’m taking overly long to make, is this, and I want to make this abundantly clear: we are not victims. Soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen are not victims being abused by some warmongering government. I know that liberals (who make up a majority of this particular site) like to champion victims; it’s in their DNA to find victims all over (I really think it’s some sort of compensation complex many have). That’s fine. Sometimes it’s necessary. But we (the aforementioned groups) do not need a victims’ advocacy, shouting loud for all to hear, lamenting about our plight – that being volunteering to be members of a military force and then having to go to war. It’s not a plight, folks. It’s a duty. One that the vast majority of men and women who serve carry out proudly, with honor, and with nary a complaint. You might even say that some of these men and women, young and old, actually desire war. I know that most people don’t want to hear that, but it’s true. Some of these men and women live for warfare, because if they didn’t we wouldn’t have all those handy manuals and, get this, the most proficient military machine (i.e. killing machine) in the history of warfare. Warfare is the ultimate team sport, so why should soldiers’ sentiments about it be any different than they have for thousands of years (the length of time dependent upon the weight you place on the fossil record).

But the fact is, some people, liberals mostly, want to make us into victims. “Bush is sending these people to fight in this unjust war!” The implication is that they’re being sent to die and that it’s against their will. Ignoring the justness of this war, these men and women are neither being sent to die (although some will) nor being sent against their will. When someone points out these facts, a liberal’s response is to simply point that person towards a group (VIAW) that does feel victimized, as if that segment of military society represents the whole. Not true. These people also like to point to the wounded (the more horrifically the better) and suggest that this is the fate of those who are sent to fight and die, against their will, in this unjust war. They are hijacking our wounded comrades to make political statements that border on misleading, if not wholly misrepresentative of the majority. These people also like to point to rare instances of bureaucratic ineptitude – such as the soldier who was asked to return his enlistment bonus because he was wounded and thus couldn’t fulfill the contractual obligations of his reenlistment – and suggest that this is the norm; that this is how our soldiers are treated and victimized by the rich, white, Protestant elite. Never mind that these errors are usually quickly corrected. It’s all evidence of victimization. It’s the liberals’ “white-man’s burden” to champion us.

“'Forward, the Light Brigade!' Was there a man dismay'd ? Not tho' the soldier knew Some one had blunder'd: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do & die, Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.” This prose, written by Lord Tennyson about in ill-fated charge during the Crimean War, is what it means to be a soldier. If a soldier (or Marine, sailor, airman) doesn’t know that this is what he is about while he wears the uniform, then he is in dereliction of duty; then he is the victim. But we signed up for this; without coercion we spoke the Oath of Enlistment with our right hand raised. From that point on, ours is not to make reply, nor to wonder why; ours is but to do or die, and into the Valley of Death will we ride, a duty about which we shall never cry.

The Religion of Peace:

If you have not read about Gillian Gibbons, a British school teacher who left her country to teach children in Sudan, I suggest you do so. You’ll be shocked, amazed, and appalled at the behavior of some of the practitioners of the “Religion of Peace.” Because her students named a teddy bear Mohammad she was under threat of death. Not by an unruly mob as is normally the case, but by a court. Now, death was not a sentence that was considered, but some suggested that it be. She could have received 40 lashes and a year in prison, but instead will serve 15 days and be deported. She’s lucky that cooler(ish) heads prevailed. She’s also lucky that she’s being deported, because some young Muslim with too much time on his hands would surely cut her head off because she “insulted” Islam. Do you know how many Muslims are named Mohammad? Hint: it’s more than a baker’s dozen. Since the bear was actually named after a student in class, how is this even a question? She’s lucky. I hope that this teaches some hard lessons to people who wish to Third World countries to help educate its populace.

Word of the Day: Malapropos (adj): Unseasonable; unsuitable; inappropriate. (Adverb): in an inappropriate in inopportune manner; unseasonably. Sort of like a death sentence for naming a teddy bear Mohammad.

On This Day in History: Elizabeth Hodges is hit by a meteorite after it bounced off her radio in her living room, giving her a mere bruise. She’s the only known person to have been hit by a space rock (1954). The famous (or infamous) Cleopatra died today (30 BCE). Also, 300 cities around the globe celebrate “Cities for Life Day”, during which these cities declare their opposition to the death penalty. Excellent, now let’s divide our death row inmates equally amongst these 300 cities. Each should net at least 10 or so murderers and/or rapists.

“When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wonder'd. Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!” – Lord Tennyson, Charge of the Light Brigade, 1854.