Oracle Online

I am confused by what Lueth means when he writes, “The administration who ordered this near genocide, and the politicians in Congress who went along with it, bear the ultimate responsibility.” He then goes on to quote Joel Stein of the Los Angeles Times as saying, “Blaming the president is a little too easy. The truth is that people who pull triggers are ultimately responsible, whether they’re following orders or not. An army of people making moral choices may be inefficient, but an army of people ignoring their morality is horrifying.” Are we to believe that what Stein was saying was in support of what Lueth posits? Stein seems to blame the troops for their actions, while Lueth blames the administration and Congress. Perhaps the blame is not as clear-cut as either of them wants it to be.

I believe Lueth laments the idea that the American people have taken an all-or-nothing stance when it comes to the war in Iraq. He writes of the “fear of appearing ‘unpatriotic’” as being “palpable everywhere.” He chastises the responses to Stein’s refusal to support our troops as knee-jerk reactions that “resorted to name calling instead of responding to his argument.” I share Lueth’s displeasure with the nauseating catch phrase “I support our troops.” This might come as a surprise since I am a “troop.” But I question why one has to support the war in order to support the troops. Lueth is right; we should not blindly support our troops. We should, however, take a long hard look at what “I support our troops” actually means. If it means that “I support the war in Iraq” then we should think twice before putting those magnets on our cars. On the other hand, if it means that we are concerned for their safety and want them to come home safely, I don’t see anything wrong with putting them on our cars. The meanings of a yellow ribbon magnet are endless, but these popular meanings are appropriate in this context.

I suspect what Lueth is really against is war and all purveyors of war. Without engaging him on the issue of war, I would like to point out that our “troops” also protect merchant ships and cruise ships from America’s enemies at sea. However, with the war in Iraq it is understandable that the public would forget (assuming it ever knew) of the military’s peace time roles.

In summary, I agree that we should not blindly support our troops. We should, however, understand what it means to “support our troops” before we alienate a group of people that knit the blanket of freedom that we sometimes take for granted.

--Christopher Anderson
CLA ’06