Sen. Boxer's Statement about "the glory of our military" is Scary!

seriously scary.....

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/63160/?page=2

That they didn't doesn't just reflect on their political tone-deafness; something more frightening is going on. By capitulating to the GOP's spinmeisters, they became complicit in putting the military on a pedestal, tacitly endorsing the idea that you can go after politicians who lie, but not generals, even generals who are rumored to have political aspirations.

I won't mince words: glorifying the military -- placing it above reproach, suggesting that it is inappropriate to question its officers on the same terms as we question civilian leaders -- is a giant step towards fascism. In condemning the anti-MoveOn resolution, Barbara Boxer said: ""This is the United States of America. We don't condemn single ads or organizations. We condemn every attack on the glory of our military." I don't hold members of the military responsible for the decision to invade Iraq, but when we forget that they're serving in an illegal, immoral and unpopular war, and talk about how we have to condemn any attack on the military's "glory," we're getting into serious Kim Jong Il territory.

like she did say this! :wow:

I completely agree with this author. It seems as though indoctrination is complete for the "left".

her record has been true to liberal principles and causes up to now. I hope she clarifies what she meant though.

More broadly though, this wholesale condemning of MoveOn for criticizing the whole military when in fact they were only exercising their First Amendment rights to criticize one military general, points to how dysfunctional our Congress has become and I think, we the people, have got to do something about it. I just don't know what.

Maybe, warmish coal. :)

I've just never heard her use that kind of rhetoric.

in this country is a dangerous thing, but I wish the author hadn't attacked Boxer.

In the end, veterans are almost always treated like shit any way. But politicians still have to glorify them, I suppose in hopes of drawing in more recruits. They can't stand up there and call them what they are: cannon fodder.

Republicans praise the military and glorify it as they are using it to achieve their dark deeds. Democrats don't like the military as much, but praise and lionize and "glorify" the individual troops. We want them better treated, in service and when they return. We want to protect their lives and health and income. Republicans don't give a shit about the troops, they just worry about how to use them.

chickenhawks -- they let their actual service speak for itself.

Although she did vote against the Senate amendment, so it's not all bad news. All this is really proof of is how entrenched the idea of "supporting the troops" has become. Supporting this bullshit war is the exact opposite of supporting the troops, but the right wing has successfully made it impossible to say anything disparaging against the military at all, even if it's just criticizing a commander that would have been fired long ago in any kind of effective leadership.

I hear people all the time bash liberals and people like Cindy Sheehan, but when you ask them about the war, they say something like, "Well, I don't really support it. I just support the troops." The right wing has hid behind the military too long while at the same time destroying it. This has to change.

Her purpose in that statement was to head of the Cornyn amendment and support her own amendment. Her goal was to prevent the Cornyn amendment from praising Petraeus and condemning MoveOn, so she offered an alternative to siphon off some of the votes.

It failed, and now she's got that goofy statement to live with. Many words other than glory would have worked fine there. Service, honor, integrity, heroism all would praise the military without elevating it to a deified status. But she overreached, and took a word that didn't just express appreciation for the military's service to the nation, but also elevated above national values.

Oh well. One word won't destroy our nation. The problems are much deeper than that.

Or in the words of Madison:

A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defence agst. foreign danger, have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.

:puke:

Insane. Batshit insane.

That's just another reason to have Universal National Service.

But I support her anyway. Glorification of the military is a serious thing. Where are the roots of this? I think there always was a little of it, but was it the Cold War, was it a reaction to open criticism of the military during Vietnam that made it so widespread? Whaa happened?

carrying out a-hole's policies. The troops had the name 'Betrayus', as is usual in the service. I spent a few years in the Navy, and remember well, that as a non-com, all those Admirals and Captains were political appointees. Some were good, but most a sorry bunch who made it because his family had connections. If we're ever going to make any headway on getting out of this EXXon war, we had best separate ourselves from these mild mannered types in Congress!

with both parties going the same way. And it seems some Democrats want to make it a race.

that keeps on giving for them. it is the simplest of endeavors for the likes of g.w. bush to stand holding up a teetering lame duck podium and scowl across a room of people still afraid to ask the questions that remain unanswered after nearly 8 years i.e.

Why, sir, have you/are you only seen before uniformed troops required to salute you as you yourself are abusing our troops?

Why, sir, are you using the noble armed forces of The United States of America, as the ultimate Burns Security Force for corporate america?

Why, sir, are you shedding the blood of our armed forces; the innocent blood of the world, in the course of frittering away our treasure for the self aggrandizement & enrichment of a few?