How exactly does protesting the stupid war HURT the soldiers?

[mopaul]

i'll never get this disconnect from reality.

[MichiganVote]

1. It's like the pillar of salt story-don't even listen to it

Americans in the military, in or out of Iraq, have a lot more to think about than a group in a tent in Crawford or anywhere else.

[MercutioATC]

2. Supposedly they all get sad when we aren't excited about the war.

It's supposed to be a morale issue.

Honestly, I'd be happier knowing that people back home cared about me enough to want me to stay alive, but that's just me.

[gizmo1979]

3. I think it's the vietnam syndrome.

They can't think of a protest in any other terms than the anti-war protests during the sixties,where the soldiers came back and were spat on.Maybe we should label them anti war president protests.Or maybe pro soldier protests.

[Benhurst]

13. Returning soldiers being spat upon

is an urban myth, spread by right-wingers to stifle dissent.

Check out:

http://www.thevoicenews.com/News/2003/0228/In_Response/R03_Bernard-re_Barlow.html

[gizmo1979]

18. I don't think so

unless the people who spoke to me wear lying.I was in the army and several vietnam vets told the same story.Walking through airports and getting spit on.It was a group lie if it's not true.

[Benhurst]

19. Such is the nature of urban legends. I worked as a Congressional

liaison with veterans groups in D.C. during the war. We never could pin down such stories, and concluded, as have many others, that the stories were urban myth. On the other hand, there were examples too numerous to count of corporations refusing to hire veterans because they were afraid violent behavior resulting from post traumatic shock syndrome. I'm not sure that's what it was called then, but think it may be when the term was coined. I worked with several vets facing such discrimination.

If you can find an example that does not fit the pattern of urban legend (unattributed, third-fourth-or-god-only-knows-what-hand) and can be verified, I would be interested in hearing about it. It has been many years now, but the subject still interest me. In any event, if it happened at all, it certainly was an extremely rare occurrence, given the difficulty of pinning down a single documented case.


As for lying, I don't think people who spread urban legends do so knowing they are false. They hear what seems to be a credible story, then repeat to others, who repeat it to others, etc., etc., etc.

[dogday]

4. because the soldiers are learning this

ain't exactly the most honorable thing they could be doing

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. You see, thinking we at home don't care for them hurts

their feelings.

It's not watching IEDs blow up little kids you just gave candy too, or showering with bullets an innocent family who didn't know enough to stop at a checkpoint, or watching your buddy get blown up when he checks the trunk of another car at your checkpoint, or the lack of body and vehicle armor, or lack of troops in general, or the fact that you are a cop caught in the crossfire of a huge gangland war now that kills morale.

It's knowing that there are still cars back home that don't have yellow ribbon magnets that does you in.

[redwitch]

10. Aw damn. You've convinced me. Can I get one at WalMart do you think?

:-)

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Prolly. :^P

[clydefrand]

6. According to those who say such things, they say that "protesting"

gives more clout to the insurgents. They are more likely to continue their havoc. I say Bush is the reason they continue what they are doing; not war protestors. People all over the world hate the bastard and who can blame them. How would the people in this country like to be called "evil" by the leaders of other countries the way Bush has done so often. He has made many grave errors, but the "axis of evil" was one of the worst, in my opinion. No country's citizens want to be called evil.

[Swamp Rat]

7. My response to assholes who say that:

"Supporting the war KILLS soldiers."

[lildreamer316]

21. Are these the same people that say guns don't kill ppl;ppl kill ppl?

You can't have it both ways; If you are going to argue cause and effect.

[BikeWriter]

8. Well, uh, it doesn't. The entire war was needless!

[CoffeeCat]

9. Good question...

The neocons think that they can position us as unAmerican, unPatriotic haters of American soldiers--by framing our protest as a slap in the face to the soldiers.

This is nothing more than marketing bullshit.

The truth is: Sending any soldier overseas to die for a lie--is hurting the soldiers. Sacrificing American soldiers for a war that is un-winnable--hurts the soldiers. Sending American soldiers into a war for which you are unprepared and understaffed--seems pretty hurtful to the soldiers to me. Also, failing to provide the proper equipment--such as body armor--doesn't really help the soldiers, now does it?

The Republicans are masters--TOTAL MASTERS--at spinning their sick policies into beautiful, patriotic messages. They are the biggest liars and they are good at it.

We love the soldiers. We care about them and we don't want any more killed for BushCo's sick lies and reckless policies.

You asked a good question, and we need to shout from the frickin rafters that we don't want the soldiers hurt--and that is the reason for our protest.

We've gotta start winning the PR war--by shouting the truth right back at them. I'm sick and tired of them bamboozling the country with their gigantic lies that they repeat over and over and over.

[zippy890]

11. its Vietnam flashback

baby-boomer generation that is in power (chickenhawk warmonger profiteering millionaires)have never gotten over the vietnam war, and they & their sheeple believe to this day that the anti-war movement caused the loss of this war, blah blah undermining the troops blah.

They have not learned from history, & they are dooming us and others to reliving it. We cannot let this happen, it is clear this war cannot be won with US military presence.

This is why we MUST take all our military out of Iraq AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. It is leaving them there that hurts the military, in profound and devastating ways - it is a lost cause, & we should recognize that now, and not subject our soldiers to trying to fight an ill-conceived and ignoble cause

[DanCa]

14. It hurts the feelings of those afraid to enlist

It's pure Jung psychology my friend. The repubs hate us because we have the moral courage to do whats right and speak out against this damnable war while all they do is pund their chest roar and run and hide. To those that say they are pro war I say enlist. www.goarmy.com I'll even go you a fifty dollar sign up bonus.
Hey I dont want to kill anyone, or be shot at, at least I am man enough to admit it. And the republicans resent the hell out of me for being able to admit it.

[Solly Mack]

15. It doesn't. Only the government harms the troops

The government hurts the soldiers - they do this by sending them to war for lies and by cutting their benefits - both for active duty, NG, Reserves and the retired.

The government spins the blame away from themselves by blaming the protesters...

It can't be that war is bad policy and the dying changes people's minds...it has to be that the protesters caused people to think the war was bad and that was what changed the people's minds. Protest grew because more people saw the war for what it was (Vietnam)...a lie. Same with Iraq - the protest will grow because more and more people will see the truth. It's not a case of the protesters making the war unpopular...the protests stem from the war being unpopular and wrong to begin with...so it's policy that is to blame and not the protesters.

If people try and forget the war because it was just too painful - because of the lies, because of the dying....then the government can get away with continuing to dirt the troops because the people aren't paying attention...and that makes it easier for the government to blame the protestors and spin the history....it's what happened in Vietnam and it is happening again with Iraq.

People were so glad Vietnam ended, that most paid absolutely no attention to how badly the government dirted the vets afterwards....by blaming protesters...and you can best believe that the "blame the protesters" talking point ALWAYS comes from the government...the government can redirect the blame.

Sadly, just as some people buy the Iraq/Sept 11 lie, there will be people who buy the "protestors harm" lie....

[mduffy31]

16. Well

It hurts them because they are all just a bunch of pussies. The right acts like they are all a bunch of 10 year old girls and we can't say anything about them because it will hurt their "feelings." I know that most of these guys and gals understand that the people that are protesting are looking out for them and support them and don't hate them.

[Lexingtonian]

17. uh, magic

I wish I were kidding.

But they really act as if a couple of nice elderly people and teenagers holding signs and who they otherwise tune out...can somehow affect material events and peoples' feelings about themselves at a few thousand miles' remove. By merely chanting a few words or handing out flyers or holding up pieces of cardboard with a witty phrase or two.

It's a reflection of the fact that they themselves aren't actually connected to reality, and while they can't admit that their own beliefs are magical they become afraid when other people perform rituals they secretly believe to have telekinetic or mind-warping magical effect. Or they actually believe in demons being invoked.

You can't, and I can't, actually get to the bottom of this, mentally- it's superstition and demonology, way too medieval and rooted in insanity to fathom rationally. But it's useful to know if/when you really want to freak them out....

[uppityperson]

20. A couple reasons

1. All the soldiers closely moniter what is going on back home, and their moral is eroded when they read that we want them home safely, rather than Completing the Mission (tm).

2. Insurgents moniter what is going on and realize that if they kill more soldiers, we will protest more and Our Fine Leader (bless his compassionate heart) will be impelled to pull the soldiers out, leaving the insurgents safely in charge to run amok, rape, pillage and destroy.