The writer of "Also in the 'wussy' category," a soldier in Afghanistan, agrees with a fellow soldier agreeing with Joel Stein's piece "Warriors and wusses"
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-stein24jan24,0,4137172.column?coll=la-news-comment-opinions, in essence, NOT supporting the troops because of not supporting the war in Iraq. Although this letter writer doesn't call Bush an "idiot," as does his predecessor (see URL below), he puts blame "for the terrible state our country is in" on Bush and those who voted for him.
Also in the ‘wussy’ category
I must be in the “wussy” category as well, because I agree with everything the writer of “In the ‘wussy’ category”
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=35202 (letter, Feb. 21) said.
I was too late to read “On Iraq, hold your ground and give parades a rest” (Opinion, Joel Stein, Jan. 27), but I would probably agree with what he said. Although the president is to blame for the terrible state our country is in, we have to push some of the blame back on ourselves. He was voted in by a majority of the country.
Of course we are not the ones who squandered a $5 trillion surplus and turned it into a $7 trillion deficit. We are also not the ones who misled the American people as well as lawmakers into making the decision to go into Iraq.
It is our patriotic duty to question the moves our government makes, especially now, when the president seems to be able to do whatever he wants with no oversight.
You are not unpatriotic if you voice your disagreement with the president. You will not be affecting our morale if you think we should leave Iraq.
As long as we are in Iraq we will serve as a crutch for the Iraqi people. We need to pull out, and let them do what we did over 200 years ago: fight for and earn their own freedom.
There are other ways to serve your country besides serving in the military. You do it every November when you vote, and when you speak up about what you think our government is doing right or wrong. When you stop doing either of those, you stop giving us a reason to serve and fight.
Spc. Jonathan Smith
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=35407