Support

nobody@vox.com(JudgeBob) — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:37:49 -0700

Main Entry:: ¹sup·port
Pronunciation:: \sə-ˈpȯrt\
Function:: transitive verb
Etymology:: Middle English, from Anglo-French supporter, from Late Latin supportare, from Latin, to transport, from sub- + portare to carry — more at fare
Date:: 14th century

1: to endure bravely or quietly : bear2 a (1): to promote the interests or cause of (2): to uphold or defend as valid or right : advocate <supports fair play> (3): to argue or vote for <supported the motion to lower taxes> b (1): assist, help <bombers supported the ground troops> (2): to act with (a star actor) (3): to bid in bridge so as to show support for c: to provide with substantiation : corroborate <support an alibi>3 a: to pay the costs of : maintain <support a family> b: to provide a basis for the existence or subsistence of <the island could probably support three — A. B. C. Whipple> <support a habit>4 a: to hold up or serve as a foundation or prop for b: to maintain (a price) at a desired level by purchases or loans; also : to maintain the price of by purchases or loans5: to keep from fainting, yielding, or losing courage : comfort6: to keep (something) going

A little over a year ago Sgt. Eddie Jeffers posted an article, Hope Rides Alone. Sgt. Jeffers 23, serving as a U.S. Army infantryman in Ramadi, Iraq did a great job of expressing the view a soldier has of the people at home when he is wading through the destruction of war and the deaths of friends. I recommend following the link above to read the full story but here is an excerpt for the purposes of clarifying why I say what I have to say to the anti-war crowd 5 years into a conflict.

["People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the enemy's brutality because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward’s war against us. It is effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the enemy changes...only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society...and they are becoming our enemy.

Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war. "]

You may take exception to Sgt Jeffers comments on dissenters. Sorry, he isn't available to hear your complaints. Sgt. Eddie Jeffers was killed in Iraq on September 19, 2007. What it means to support someone is in no way justified by the phrase, "Support them by bringing them home." You cannot say to the Cardinals, "I support you because I want you to go to the dressing room and hang up your uniform." Neither can you support the troops by bringing them home and the troops feel your sentiment for what it is, hypocrisy. The enemy knows it too. You cannot support the troops and not support their cause.

From 1969 until the end of the war, over 20,000 American soldiers lost their lives in a war that the United States did not have the resolve to win. The sensationalism by the American news media and the anti-war protests following the 1968 Tet Offensive gave hope to Communist North Vietnam, strengthening their belief that their will to succeed was greater than ours. Instead of seeking a successful resolution at the Paris Peace Conference following the disastrous defeat of the 1968 Tet Offensive, they employed delay tactics as another tool to inflame U.S. politics. This delaying tactic spurned further anti-war demonstrations. Those who sensationalized their reporting of the war and those who supported anti-war demonstrations are guilty of giving our enemy hope. Because of their actions, they must share partial responsibility for those 20,000 + Americans deaths.

We won the war on the battlefield but lost it back home on the college campuses and in the city streets.

1st Cav Medic Radio Station

Those who were there remember and don't mince words when it comes to naming the traitors who aided the enemies of the U.S. Those who are there know and don't mince words when it comes to naming the traitors who aid the enemies of the U.S.

Given that we have been in this conflict for more than 5 years and that we are not going to quit until we can walk away with a stable government ensconced and not have to worry that they will offer aid and comfort to threats against us, isn't it time to stop the anti-war rhetoric and unify behind our troops? Isn't it time to acknowledge that we are winning in both Iraq and Afghanistan? Isn't it time to say to the troops, we are behind you, we recognize what you do is necessary for our national security? Because we are winning. We are winning the support of the common citizen, we are winning the stability of an indigenous police force. We are winning by building the infrastructure so they can have running clean water and working toilets. We are rebuilding the electrical generation system. We are building communications systems. We are making friends in the local community and we are training the local volunteer police force to operate on standards of integrity and honor.

We are not the evil. Fighting evil is not evil. Naming evil people as evil is not evil. Equating good works with evil works is evil. Using the torturous death of a village child to terrorize the village into falling inline with insurgents' purposes is evil. Its not that hard to tell the difference between those who are evil with those who are fighting evil. Its time to make a clear choice to unify behind those who are fighting the evil and stop calling the fight evil. The stated purpose of the evil ones identifies them as the evil ones. The stated purpose of the forces for good identifies them as the forces for good. And the evidence of the works of the evil forces defines them as evil. And the evidence of the works of the good forces defines them as the good. Muddling up this simple definition is aiding and abetting the enemies of the United States and the Coalition forces today.

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