The reason I HATE that stupid-ass "it is the soldier, not the community organizer" poem

[jmowreader]

You've read it...

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

The reason I hate the fucking thing is, North Korea has soldiers coming out the ass, and they don't have freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom to demonstrate or fair trials.

[Warpy]

1. No shit, Sherlock, I hated that thing too

We gave that stuff to ourselves.

Soldiers, when they've been used appropriately, have defeated scumbags who wanted to take it all away from us.

But they didn't give us anything. We did that. They just helped us defend it from time to time and for that we need to be grateful.

[DavidDvorkin]

2. Same reason I hate that bumper sticker, "If you love your freedoms, thank a vet."

No, I thank a bunch of political philosophers in the 17th and 18th centuries.

[baldguy]

3. Funny, I thought it was the Constitution which gave us all those things.

Thomas Jefferson never wore a uniform.

[kestrel91316]

4. ZOMG, they hate us for our freedoms!!!! So we have to go shoot their civilians down!!!!

[Birthmark]

5. The last time soldiers defended our freedom...

...was WWII.

Even so, neither the reporter, poet, nor campus organizer give us military adventurism.

Soldiers, lawyers, and the frightened military fetishists give us that --and crappy bumper-stickers.

[nichomachus]

16. Was 1775

[DRoseDARs]

19. So, you think we would have done well had the Nazis taken Europe and neutered the USSR?

Imperial Japan probably would have preferred that we left them unmolested in the Pacific as well. War of 1812? That didn't count either, despite foreign troops running roughshod on US soil and burning down the White House? You get points for knowing the fighting began in 1775 and not 1776, but it was still a rather myopic point to make.

[sandnsea]

6. Yeah, soldiers can deprive you of all of that too

I hate that shit. It's African-Americans facing down riot dogs and running from slavery, and women on hunger strikes, and Irish miners forming unions, and Thomas Paine, and a thousand other brave individuals who stood up to opression over the course of history. The soldiers only come in after, and usually to beat down the revolutionary.

[lunatica]

7. Saddam Hussein had soldiers to enforce his dictatorship

The soldier is there to do the bidding of whoever is the leader. Period.

[Dawson Leery]

8. I hear you.

Those in uniform, more times than not, serve the interest of the status quo.
Those who fight for their freedoms for themselves, such as the African American community who fought en-masse along side many others for equal rights, are the ones who give us freedom. It was those police in uniform who fought against the forces for freedom mentioned above.

[Jennicut]

9. And the thinkers were the ones that put the ideas in everyone's head that we had to fight for

our freedoms, which led to ordinary people being the first soldiers. Professional soldiers were not who fought in the early days of the revolutionary war. We got so far away from that for various reasons.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. That was stuck on a bulletin board at my work the other day.

I'm pretty sure I know who put it up -- he's this old guy who reminisces all the time about his good old days in the Army. He's very sincere about his reverence for God, Jesus, the flag and 'Merka, so I just humor him, and I left the stupid thing on the bulletin board (though there's a company rule about not posting political/religious stuff).

But I'm pretty tempted to ask him about countries that have lots of soldiers and few rights.

[qazplm]

11. I suppose the argument is

and it's not a great argument and in fairness I am on active duty and have been for the last 8 years and off and on since 92, but I'd guess the argument is that we got our Constitution through force of arms, basically.

So technically the poem is true, but the real truth is that rights aren't given, they are always there, that's the whole point of the Dec. of Independence talking about inalienable rights, and as a People we recognize those rights and protect them in the Constitution.

We exercise those rights, which like any exercise, ideally keeps them from atrophying. So, when the poet writes, or the reporter investigates and reports, or the lawyer defends an accused, or the campus organizer demonstrates, they are keeping our rights fresh, sacred, and relevant. If they didn't, then the People would stop recognizing and holding as sacred those rights, and we'd start giving them away (some might argue we already are).

So, yes, Soldiers helped the People in recognizing those rights, and to a certain extent are responsible for protecting those rights (our oaths are to the Constitution), but the People have a huge role too.

[donco6]

12. YOu mean, besides the title?

You can see where it's going from a mile away. Barf.

[meow mix]

13. war can only be a path to a political end

and fools never learn.

[1776Forever]

14. OK I don't necessarily "love" this poem but let me say that I feel it has some merit.

It is true that those in power who have sent our men and women to a misguided war zone are the ones we can question but the men and women who go to fight these battles should be given our respect. Have any of you been to a fallen soldiers funeral? It is one of the saddest experiences I have ever had.

This young 24 year-old Navy Reserve Seabee had just graduated with honors from USF and he had done everything right up to the time of his death. There are so many young men and women who because of monetary reasons joined the Reserves because of that reason.

I am NOT nor was I ever for fighting in Iraq and I also have to question now the tactics used with the drones in Afghanistan. However, it is clear that there are many different countries that would like to see the United States fall and it will be our men and women in Uniform that keep us safe if and when this happens on our shores.

I am the mother of 2 who have and are serving in the Military and I can tell you when your loved one goes to these war zones there is NO feeling that can describe the day in and day out tug on your heart not knowing if at any moment you will get a call saying they have been killed in action.

On this Memorial Day eve I thank our Veterans from those ancestors of mine who served in the Revolutionary War, to those who served in the Civil War, to those who served in WWI and WWII, to my friends and husband who served in Vietnam, and to those who are serving. This includes a son who served in the Gulf War and has found out he may have cancer of the thyroid because of depleted uranium.

P.S. - Nothing against community organizers indented, they do great work!

:patriot:

[gulliver]

15. Written by a Young Republican non-soldier I assume

Think how bad it would sound coming from a real soldier.

[Shadow Creature]

17. yes

It is utterly simplistic and nothing is that simple.

[ck4829]

18. Just jingoism to cover the stink of their contempt for their fellow Americans and the Constitution