And They Say They Support The Troops?

This is my article published today over OpinionEditorials.com....
A new anti-military book is being promoted by Code Pink called “10 Excellent Reasons Not to Join the Military”. The author is Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg with Cindy Sheehan writing the guest introduction. While the cover is a vile mockery of wounded soldiers, the contents of the book are even worse. I was able to download Chapter 10 of the book, written by Rae Abileah, via the Code Pink website. Abileah just happens to be a member of Code Pink. Just reading this chapter reinforces how much Code Pink and its comrades really despise our military.

Abileah begins the chapter explaining how she evolved from wanting to join the military in high school to a loather of the military. She explained that the more she learned about the “way that the United States has repeatedly invaded other countries using military force in the name of democracy and freedom, joining the military began to look less valiant and honorable.” The clincher for Abileah was the “immature and retaliatory response to terrorism” when the USA went to war in Afghanistan. Once again, it is all about Bad America and the evil done by the United States. That is nothing more than socialist drivel spewed by the hate America first crowd of Castro-lovers.

Abileah hypes the media myth that the majority of recruits enter the military only to get money for college. She claims the military offers none of the advantages promoted by recruiters. Abileah encourages the reader to dedicate their life to working for social change instead of the “media hyped” American pride mentality of the military. She calls “teachers, community organizers, activists, engineers, public defense attorneys, lobbyists and artists” the “true patriots”. I wonder if she includes Jack Abramoff in this category – after all he was a lobbyist. Why is pride in your country offensive to the anti-war crowd?

The chapter also promotes the “class” myth of the military – that most low-income young adults choose the military because it is the only way out. Abileah claims that “the institutionalized violence that the military represents” gives the potential gang-banger an outlet for their street survival skills. In addition, the added testosterone of wearing an Army uniform is too much for the youngsters to resist. Facts do not support this so-called theory and have been put to bed by recruiting statistics. The soldiers serving in our military are not the dregs of society forced into servitude with the armed forces. To imply such is to reveal the depth of your ignorance.

The very last line of the chapter sums up the anti-military opinion of the so-called “peace activists”. Abileah writes, “It is not the time to give in to this child-killing machine called the military; it’s time to resist.” Abileah was right about it not being the time to give in. It is not the time to give in to appeasement and weakness. It is time to call these anti-war groups exactly what they are – anti-Americans that would like nothing more than United States to fail. But don't forget - they support the troops.