Thank A Vet For Your Freedom
 

December 22 2004
Counterbias.com
Doug Griffin
T E X A N   F O R   T R U T H
 

This is by no means meant as an anti-military piece.  My father (USMC – Vietnam) and brother (USNR – Iraq) were both in the military as were some of my closest friends. I have nothing but respect for our men and women in uniform. So, contrary to the title’s inference, this piece is hardly about veterans at all. It’s more about the Bush Administration’s rhetoric about freedom and our (the American people’s) large scale swallowing of it. The fact that I feel compelled to add this preface is a testament to that.

In the parking lot of my place of employment, the bumper sticker on an old, beat up pickup truck read, “If you love your freedom, thank a vet.”  At first I smiled and thought, “Yeah. Thanks, veterans, for my freedom.”  This thought was immediately followed by, “Wait a minute! When was the last time my freedom was in jeopardy from the threat of some hostile force?” That’s when I came to the stark realization that our “freedom” is not really being protected by our military.

The way I see it, unless there is a very sizeable military contingent sitting off the American coast or on its borders, my freedom is not in any kind of jeopardy that our military could defend. By that rationale, and that of the “vet” bumper sticker, our national freedom has not been in jeopardy since the War of 1812. Yes, our military has a great deal to do with that fact, but so does our geography. Remember, folks, the scenario from the film Red Dawn never really happened, nor could it. We have not had to fight off advancing forces on American soil in nearly 200 years. During the wars with the Native Americans, we were the advancing force and the Civil War was an internal struggle – hence the name.

Perhaps WWI and WWII should be considered as periods when our military went to foreign lands to defend our freedom and that of others, as there were legitimate threats during those times. But when else?

Can you name any other United States military action that was truly in defense of America’s freedom? Probably not.

The Spanish-American War? That was about Cuba’s freedom, not ours. We were flexing muscle, like France did when we wanted our own independence. Here’s an idea: if you like your freedom, thank the French.

The Cuban Missile Crisis? This was more about our survival than it was about defending freedom. There is a difference. Freedom and survival do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. For example, we survive every day while one freedom after another is erased by the administration of the guy who claims he is defending our freedom.

Vietnam? At best, Vietnam was about stopping the spread of Communism/Socialism in Southeast Asia. There are any number of other reasons for which we may gone there but securing the freedom of Americans was not one of them. But that’s a whole other story.  Ho Chi Mihn’s Communist Horde was on the march. We were so worried about the wily Viet Cong infiltrating through Mexico that we put “Sharp Eye” George (Bush) in the Texas Air National Guard to make sure they didn’t get through. Mission Accomplished.

Afghanistan? No. Afghanistan, although I agree with the military action, was not a threat to America’s freedom.  It was strictly retaliatory – and justified.

And if anybody thinks our invasion of Iraq was in defense of America’s freedom, that person should seriously consider submitting himself/herself for a lobotomy.

First, our invasion of Iraq was illegal. There were no WMD and therefore no just reason for invasion. I blame the Bush Administration for that, not our military. As I recall, there were members of the military brass, since forced to retire, that did have the balls to tell Dubya that his desert endeavor would result in exactly what it has become: a fruitless, wild goose chase. Our military personnel signed up to fight, and unfortunately die, if they were called upon to do so; only if there was a legitimate threat to the United States of America.  George W. Bush betrayed the trust of our men and women in uniform by sending them to Iraq for no valid reason. If Saddam Hussein had ever truly posed a threat to the United States of America, he would have been eliminated a long time ago – by the smarter President Bush or by President Clinton.

There are much worse dictators in the world that deserve to be toppled more than Saddam Hussein did.  At one point Saddam may have posed a threat to the flow of oil coming from the region. That was before the first Gulf War – when Saddam was our boy. In that respect, your freedom to drive a gas-guzzling SUV may have been compromised. That said, would you not agree that the real threat to our freedom is dependence on fossil fuels – particularly the reserves of which we don’t control? Ah, that’s the way Saddam was threatening our freedom. He was sitting on the second-largest oil reserve on the planet and he was no longer in the good graces of God… er… the U.S. Now, an American-placed government sits on that reserve and an American company reaps the benefits, paid for with the blood of American service men and women and the blood of Iraqi civilians. It can truly be called the Oil-for-Blood program.

I thank and appreciate all veterans for the difficult work they do and the important purpose they serve. They make incredible sacrifices and they deserve our gratitude. Many of them may even deserve hero-worship as well. But I can’t thank today’s vets for my freedom since they have yet to fight for it and are currently fighting for someone else’s – according to President Bush. All while my freedom is being eroded away.

If you really want to thank someone for your freedom (while you have it, anyway), try thanking the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), NOW (National Organization of Women), or the ASPCA – yes, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They’ve protected your freedom too, and you probably didn’t even know it.

Thank the ACLU for the 40-hour workweek, the minimum wage law, and the child labor laws we have. Those are freedoms you probably take for granted. Many people died for them – adults and children were literally worked to death in deplorable conditions for very little pay. Thank the people that fought for your right to vote and other civil rights, like the NAACP, LULAC, and NOW for minorities and women. Voting is another freedom that has been taken for granted. Now, that freedom seems to be slipping away. Thank the ASPCA for not only the protection of animals against cruelty, but also for the protection of children against abuse. We all, especially children, should have the freedom not to be abused. It was the ASPCA who brought the first child-abuse case to court and created the SPCC (the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) in 1874.

And what do all these groups have in common?  They are all liberal organizations. Liberals are truly about fighting for the freedom for ALL Americans. What has any conservative group ever contributed to that end?

Zilch!

Conservatives are about denying freedoms and rights to anyone they do not agree with. And these are the people who have usurped the mantle of Christianity. How ironic. My feeling is that any conservative that might be reading this is probably wishing there were no right to free speech if that speech includes telling the truth about a misguided, moronic, lying president and his administration. Well, since we tolerated your free speech when you were lambasting President Clinton for lying about a blow-job, you’re damn sure gonna tolerate my truth-telling about George W. Bush being the absolute worst and most immoral president in American history!

The biggest threat to America’s freedom is George W. Bush himself. Out-of-control spending, coupled with tax cuts that benefit only 1% of the country are eroding America’s economic freedom every single day. Oh, and by the way, let’s make those tax cuts permanent. 

Maybe instead of enthusiastically clapping your hands to a bloody pulp for the ridiculously perceived greatness of George W. Bush and his stewardship of freedom and democracy, perhaps you should think about the very real probability that this election was stolen – Mr. Bush. Isn’t that a threat to your most fundamental freedom – regardless of the perpetrator? Your right to vote may have been stolen by the very person who claims to be the grand defender and grand proliferator of freedom.

You know, technically, Dubya’s a vet. Let’s all show our gratitude.

Thanks for saving the freedom of all Americans from the Viet Cong and Saddam Hussein, Mr. President. Thank you for our…er…your sacrifices in the defense of freedom?

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