I kid you not. That's exactly what it said on the back of a man's truck I spotted on I-95 the other day. I know there are a lot of people that share his sentiments, albeit they've come far short of earmarking their car as a medium used to promulgate their hatred.
And why is it when I see a 'Support the troops' ribbon-magnet on someone's car I automatically assume that they are a fundamentalist Christian conservative that has an insular, hateful view of those in the world whose views differ from theirs? I mean, after all -- I mean, after all -- I'm sure all of us, no matter what our views are on this war, support the troops and I like to think that I'm somewhat open-minded and free-thinking. So why was this 'support the troops' thing started and why is it when you hear a man sing Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA", it would in most people's minds most likely be sung by a blue collared country boy who has a "W" sticker plastered on their Chevy? Why, when I sing that song in a drunken infused sentimental patriotic fashion, do people assume I'm parodying the damn song? WTF. They laugh before the first verse hits. What does this all mean? Since when is patriotism...farkin hilarious?!! What have we become?!!
This made me question why it seems this stereotype exists. Why is it that it's uncool to don a flag? Why would that suggest I voted for Bush? Why has the fundamental right hijacked the pride for our nation from us? Why the fuck is it national news if Obama is caught without an American flag pinned to his lapel? WTF!? Check out all these Google results on "the matter."
Back to my point; if you are against the war, would it follow that you don't support the troops? Would it be possible to say that you support the troops but don't believe this is a justified war?
I like to think that I support the troops so much that the least we can do for them is not send them into harms way when it was without merit to begin with. It was unjustifiable. That includes not sending them to war when the grounds for it were baseless and...fabricated. Yeah, I said it. (Now that we're there, I think we created a mess that we cannot easily desert. So I'm split on the issue of getting up and ditching right now, but at least I can admit that now.)
But not to get on a tirade about anything. I've disliked Bush and his policies before it was cool to dislike them, not that this helps me much, since I'm still pretty uncool. I mean, don't get me wrong -- I bet he'd be sweet as fuck to have as company at a tailgate or a kegger, but not exactly who I would hire to be my captain of this big ass ship called 'merka.
But I still think it's amazing that people consistently vote against their economic interests to be instead lured out in droves to vote, but not necessarily for a candidate that strongly believes in policies that will enrich the lives of all those in America--no. Forget the economy and the war that we were in the middle of during election 2004. Forget all of that. After all, men are trying to marry men and get death benefits if their lover dies and all of these other horrendous things! A vote for Bush was a vote for posterity and tradition, after all and we can all sleep soundly if we know our sons wont be allowed to wear a wedding dress one day.
So how did they pull the wool over your eyes and how do they continue to try and do so? How did you not see this economic meltdown approaching? I mean, here we are selling our bodies to afford gasoline, which is rumored to tip over $4.00 a gallon come summer and meanwhile we're spending this much abroad on what was initially a mission to rid Iraq of nuclear weapons, but then evolved into us 'liberating' them after we realized there wasn't shit to be found.
So how did we get into this mess?
The answer is 'wedge issues'. Issues that are specifically designed to be divisive and distract from the more pressing issues at hand. Issues that were at the forefront of the 2004 presidential election to distract from other things that actually mattered at that time; the war, the economy and instead focused our attention instead on what I just mentioned; confused people of the same sex plotting to marry each other in fruitless attempts to make babies.
Okay, okay--so I don't think the majority of Americans are mindless zombies that vote on wedge issues alone. After all, I have hope for our country because when I consider the election of 2000, I can say that we knew better, but it was just that over 2,000,000 votes weren't counted and people who shared the names of ex-cons weren't allowed to vote. Phew. I feel better now.
That's the hope I have in coming to terms with Bush's initial victory in 2000. And if that's something that I consider hopeful, then something has gone awry. (See Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election for more info on the 2000 election.)
I'm not one to be an alarmist, and I understand that topics of religion and politics are pretty divisive amongst friends. I also am not the best at keeping up with things political as is my civic duty to be an decent citizen of this country. (After all, what say can we have in complaining if we never exercised our right to vote in the first place?) But when I see blanketed, ignorant statements as displayed on that truck the other day, I can't help but feel worried, annoyed, scared -- and a little sad for that person and for the future of what was once a well respected country worldwide. There's nothing wrong with political discourse, because it'd be a little creepy if we all agreed all of the time. However, there's a difference between disagreeing and being hateful. That said, I think being 'patriotic' requires a bit more than sticking a magnet on your car and following the president without dissent on every issue. That is actually less patriotic and the antithesis to what engaging in a democracy is about to begin with.
Though nothing will be perfect the next four years, we can at least hope for the best. No matter who becomes the president, would it be too hopeful to believe that the writers for The Daily Show and Colbert Report will have to actually write and earn their paycheck this time around without the president, like clockwork, dropping a hot mess of shit on a platter for them to dissect? Fer serious!
You are serious right there. I mean, for real??
Additional resources: God Bless the USA karaoke.
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