If You Love Your Freedom ...
Thank Me. I Vote.
This whole obsession with the Bush-ie version of "patriotism" is enough to make me puke. The "If you love your freedom ... thank a vet" bumper stickers sincerely push the limits of my control about road rage.
The army does not protect my Freedom. Or yours. Ask any Pakistani what they think about the military protecting their democracy.
As a preface, my father is a highly decorated combat veteran (Air Force pilot, Vietnam). One of my uncles is a veteran (Navy aviator, Vietnam). My first husband was a member of the National Guard for the entire 10 years we were married (Army Armored). My husband is a veteran (Army Artillery). This doesn't even include my many friends who are/were in, too. So, no, I've got absolutely nothing against the US Armed Forces. That said... in the following, for purposes of brevity, the 'army' should be interpreted to mean the Armed Forces.
The Army exists for the purpose of executing US Foreign Policy. This is NOT a criticism. It is the entire purpose of having a standing army. We have one so no one messes with us here or our stuff overseas. I want us to have an army. I just want us to be completely clear what its mission is.
An army is incapable of protecting freedom. By joining, one gives up most of one's constitutional rights, by suborning them to the Army's needs. If this didn't happen, chaos would erupt, thereby negating the effectiveness of the army. Freedom to argue about the vagarities of the current political situation is not allowed in the light of following orders. If soldiers aren't all on the same page - following orders - then they aren't really an army, they would be a bunch of buddies dressed alike carrying weapons.
Voting protects my Freedom. An army can only prevent elections. It can't force them. Doing so would make the elections not-free and not-fair. Ask anyone in a banana republic.
Voting is what keeps the dorks in Washington vaguely aware of the world outside the Beltway.
This doesn’t even get into the whole “thank a vet” - “support the troops or die” issues. Support the troops! I keep wanting to tell my locally elected representatives to go fuck themselves the each time I hear them utter this phrase. Lord knows, I’d like to tell the Chief Executive that, too. All I hear with these words are “Be a Brainless Prole!”
The implication that my disagreement with the Presidential Idiot means I am unpatriotic?? Thomas Paine wasn’t very patriotic, was he? Neither was Jefferson or Adams. If, of course, you asked the guys running the show who didn’t like to be criticized because of their taxation and military decisions.
The only veteran I’m going to thank about my freedom is the one I meet at my polling place in February.
Get the fuck off your ass and go vote. Protect your Liberty.
