Common Folk Using Common Sense

Hat tip to the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, Neal Boortz, and Real Clear Politics:
Trackbacked at Michelle Malkin, Sister Toldjah, Small Town Veteran:

From Tom Bevan at Real Clear Politics:

Those who rushed to defend the honor of the Marines (and to urge the public to withhold judgment until all the facts are out) did so because, fundamentally, they feel the Corps possesses an honor worth defending.

This isn’t to excuse any behavior that may have occurred in Haditha, or to deny the unfortunate reality that if such behavior occurred it will be a stain on the Corps for years to come. It’s a reflexive reaction by those who believe in the honor and nobility of the U.S. military, by those who don’t want to see isolated acts by small numbers of individuals used to tarnish the other 99.99% of enlisted personnel, and by those who believe that when it comes to sorting out the types of claims like the ones made at Haditha, U.S. troops should be given the benefit of the doubt and not tried and convicted in the press.

At the other end of the spectrum are those who immediately took the allegations at Haditha as confirmation of every dark thought or paranoid fantasy they’ve ever had about the U.S. military. To be fair, we should separate these people into two groups: pacifists who are virulently anti-military and opposed to all wars, and anti-war partisans who are virulently opposed to this war and this president, but who claim to support the U.S. military.

In some ways, however, this is a distinction without a difference: pacifists don’t believe in the nobility of the military as an institution, and antiwar partisans don’t believe in the nobility of the military’s current mission. Both groups proved quick to believe the worst about our men and women in uniform, eager to draw unsavory historical parallels, and happy to use the allegations of Haditha as a tool to continue to turn public opinion against the war.

My son served as a US Marine in Washington, DC, southeast Asia, and Afghanistan. He worked hard and lived under unbearable conditions. Complete strangers tried their best to kill him. He served his country even before 9/11. He did it because he thought he owed something back to his country. He served with honor. Today he is a Sergeant in the Inactive Reserves. DON’T YOU TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT HIM NOT HAVING NOBILITY. My son has more good character in his toe than most of the media elite have in their entire family. Don’t say words like “rampage” and “massacre” when talking about a man that put his life, daily, on the line so that you could continue drinking your $7 trendy coffees. Don’t tell me that you don’t appreciate the sacrifices he voluntarily gave so that you can ride the subway without fear of a bomb blowing your sorry butt into small pieces. Do not try to impose your ideology on me, my family, or my son. Don’t send Cindy Sheehan to my front door and I won’t send a rabid pit bull into your bedroom. I will have no qualms nor guilt about protecting my family with my Remington 870.

More from Bevan: “Thankfully, the vast majority of Americans feel otherwise and continue to believe, as Ronald Reagan always did, in the courage, honor and nobility of the service of the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces.”

Then comes this from the recent archives of azcentral.com, home of the online edition of The Arizona Republic. It was drawn by Steve Benson, The Arizona Republic’s Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist.

azcentral.com encourages you send an email to Mr. Benson, and they include his email for your correspondance: steve.benson@arizonarepublic.com. So do I.

Marines, honor, nobility, US Marine, Arizona Republic, Steve Benson, azcentral

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