Support our troops - REALLY

Every time I see one of those yellow ribbon magnets that say "Support our troops" I feel sick somehow. Because I know that's not what the slogan really means. It is actually code for "Don't criticize the president" or "Be in favor of the war." Usually the magnet is on an SUV and that simply angers me. This monstrosity of a vehicle is contributing to the destruction of our planet as well as to our national addiction for oil. The article I'm offering you this morning is one that expresses the same sentiment and also points out how the administration is not supporting our troops. Dexter J. Kamilewicz writes in "How dare some say, 'Support our troops'?" about his feelings:

Someone recently informed me that they didn't know that my son was being deployed to Iraq and asked why I hadn't told them. I really didn't have an answer.

That is when I began to be annoyed by those ever-present, good-intentioned but mindless ribbons stuck on the back of cars and SUVs exhorting, "Support Our Troops."

I find those magnetic messages to be offensive when I think of parents and friends of National Guard soldiers who purchased expensive Kevlar armor for their soldiers while Donald Rumsfeld said they didn't have any in stock.

Those marketing messages seem so empty when soldiers are told to "up-armor" their Humvees because the Department of Defense had not asked the manufacturers if more could be done.

Do read the whole article. It's moving and good and expresses in a concise way what we've all known for a long time now.

And if you want an alternative to those yellow ribbons, you can now get a blue ribbon magnet that says, "Bring home our troops". I'm tempted to get one. But around here, I'm afraid my car would be vandalized. That says something about the climate we're living in, doesn't it?