Comment

FBI Extremist Probe and Veterans

233
karmic_inquisitor4/17/2009 10:49:46 am PDT

re: #180 realwest

Karmac - While I can agree with a lot of what you say, the fact is that Vietnam Veterans (combat and support) returned home to a lot less than “pleasant welcome” (especially those who returned home from 1970 onwards) and to a recession. Yet the Combat Vietnam Veterans who also faced extraordinarily restrictive orders about the killing of “civilians” (who were as difficult to determine in Vietnam as in Iraq), remained loyal to America and are, each and every one I’ve ever met (and that’s well over 500) absolutely patriotic to a man. We love our country and I believe that the Iraq War and Afghan War Vets will be the same: Loyal and Patriotic Americans.
And while I agree that those veterans who are affiliated in any way with extremist organizations ought to be viewed with caution, I think the timing of the release of that report was, as even the AP notes, “rushed”.

And I simply do not believe that the overwhelming majority - 99+% of America’s Veterans - combat or otherwise - are anything but Loyal and Patriotic Americans. Period.

Agree on all points.

I may be getting old and showing some sort of “old guy” bias, but I think our society had men being much more stoic back then. I think guys saw “sucking it up” as an obligation of manhood and a source of inner strength.

So much for dime store psychology, but I do think our society now lacks stoicism. We are now obsessed with “how we are seen in the world” rather than what we are actually doing to improve it.

The men and women in the military did a great deal to improve the lives of millions in Afghanistan and Iraq. To our “hope and change” political culture, that doesn’t mean sh*t because all that matters is whether we are “admired” or not.

Both western history and culture have shown that the most admired are those who went against popular notions and did what had to be done, only being recognized afterward by a thankful society. That means courage and fortitude - two things that a feminisation of culture has pinned down as being phalocentric and oppressive.

So there we are - my dimestore psychology coupled with my dimestore sociology.