tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7042961.post6351307948252531696..comments2024-02-20T14:00:41.771-05:00Comments on A Canadian Lefty in Occupied Land: "Support Our Troops"? (Complete)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7042961.post-84722587562295750582007-08-09T21:47:00.000-04:002007-08-09T21:47:00.000-04:00The issue might be turned around. How can anyone ...The issue might be turned around. How can anyone be said to "support the troops" if they are willing to let them be sent anywhere an authority says they should go, without thinking about whether it's a bad mission that's going to get them killed doing bad things for bad reasons? If you're really into "supporting the troops", don't you owe it to them to second guess and if necessary attempt to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7042961.post-67848851228498633952007-08-01T20:30:00.000-04:002007-08-01T20:30:00.000-04:00Hi thwap...thanks for commenting, and for drawing ...Hi thwap...thanks for commenting, and for drawing attention to it at enMasse as well. Sorry I didn't reply earlier in the day, but I haven't been at my computer.<BR/><BR/>First off, you have voiced the best reason for not retiring this particular slogan: brutal political practicality in a hostile environment. It is the best reason, but I'm not sure whether it is sufficient or not.<BR/><BR/>That Scott Neighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17415106335668233754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7042961.post-70739831594696597462007-08-01T08:45:00.000-04:002007-08-01T08:45:00.000-04:00"Support our troops" is offensive in any context w..."Support our troops" is offensive in any context when our country is engaged in an aggressive military occupation.<BR/><BR/>For those who are so overwhelmed and insecure that they feel the need to play to the militarists' "advantage", I humbly propose the following:<BR/><BR/><B><I>"SAVE our troops - bring them home!"</I></B>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7042961.post-44826356493811906692007-08-01T07:45:00.000-04:002007-08-01T07:45:00.000-04:00Scott,Right off the bat, I have to say that "Suppo...Scott,<BR/><BR/>Right off the bat, I have to say that "Support the troops, bring them home!" is a simplistic slogan that is designed to keep the anti-war position in the game, so as to keep playing and eventually win more broader victories.<BR/><BR/>And it's a rigged game, and we don't have home-field advantage, and we didn't invent the rules.<BR/><BR/>It's a dissatisfying position to be in, for thwaphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15399550285738440669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7042961.post-72174971972303736512007-07-27T20:29:00.000-04:002007-07-27T20:29:00.000-04:00Hey Todd...I definitely like both of those...I thi...Hey Todd...I definitely like both of those...I think the second makes its point more immediately, so it might work better on a t-shirt...but then, provided people have that extra second or two to get what it's saying, I really like the progression of the first one.<BR/><BR/>Good ideas!Scott Neighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17415106335668233754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7042961.post-27654680884918918712007-07-26T23:04:00.000-04:002007-07-26T23:04:00.000-04:00Just a thought (since I've been trying to think up...Just a thought (since I've been trying to think up something we could use):<BR/><BR/>How about a diamante poem, starting with "support" and ending with "troops" sandwiching a materialist analysis between them:<BR/>eg<BR/><BR/>support<BR/>helpful friendly<BR/>supplying paying arming<BR/>guns bombs tanks jets<BR/>invading destabilizing dehumanizing<BR/>dehumanized bloody<BR/>troops<BR/><BR/>(This Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7042961.post-4959396338150516432007-07-26T12:56:00.000-04:002007-07-26T12:56:00.000-04:00Hi Andrew, and thanks.And what a great example of ...Hi Andrew, and thanks.<BR/><BR/>And what a great example of using our urge for human connection to sucker us into supporting anti-human ends...I haven't really read too much from the dominant media on Afghanistan, but most of what I've read has been similarly simplistic and propagandistic.Scott Neighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17415106335668233754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7042961.post-86109813791778560262007-07-25T23:03:00.000-04:002007-07-25T23:03:00.000-04:00great post, scott.i have been thinking about this ...great post, scott.<BR/><BR/>i have been thinking about this for months. your writing has added a lot of depth to the issue.<BR/><BR/>i think there is yet another dimension. check out this quote from a CP wire story in the July 16th <I> Hamilton Spectator:<BR/><BR/>"We don't want any family to experience the terrible pain of losing their son or daughter, but if Canada and NATO abandon the Afghanthe red toquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10775065354974371079noreply@blogger.com