Oh, those arrogant troops!
William Arkin, writing in the Washington Post, is really annoyed at the troops. 'I've been mulling over an NBC Nightly News report from Iraq last Friday in which a number of soldiers expressed frustration with opposition to war in the United States', he writes. What? The troops have an opinion? Well, that's just too much!
'So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way, and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead, defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society? . .
'The recent NBC report is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary--oops sorry, volunteer--force that thinks it is doing the dirty work.'
That's right, lads (and the occasional lass). You're pulling down a good salary, and besides, you only think the work is dirty. So stop thinking and get on with it!
posted by Daniel Ford @ 5:22 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Hi Dan, this really is appalling, isn't it? I think Arkin is a genuine asshat. It is unscholarly of me to suggest Arkin needs a kick in the balls but, well, I think that would not be remiss. Still, I think we should keep some perspective. What he said is not much different from what Andrew Bacevich wrote in The New American Militarism except that Bacevich said it much better, less arrogantly and with none of the acid contempt which Arkin clearly shows. Actually I thought Bacevich's book weak too. But it wasn't offensive as such, merely wrong.
'asshat' -- good word! Might come in useful sometime....
Dan, I saw this also but chose to ignore it as another example of the seditious press in this country, journalists like this, especially in the WP and NYT, think they are better and know more than the rest of us, including the soldiers. The one similarity with Vietnam that is coming true is the defeatist attitude of the press and Congress, writing the war off as lost and trying to get out as quick as posssible.
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