Fails the logical sniff test

Submitted by Daryl Kennedy (United States), Mar 19, 2003 at 21:05

... Questioning the validity of war with Iraq is not a tautology implying that those who question are "pro-Saddam." (Everyone I know thinks Saddam is an evil man, regardless of political persuasion.) Nor do the stupid remarks of people like Norman Mailer cast everyone else as insensitive to the tragedy of 9/11. Nor does dissent equate to being unpatriotic or "Marxist."

John Hancock signed his name large on the Declaration so there would be no confusion about who he was. Charles Carroll added "of Carrollton" to his signature to ensure the British would know where to find him. Those people were strong dissenters from British rule, and the tradition of dissent from government policy is well rooted in our history. It is alive and well today. You may have forgotten that right to free speech and redress grievances is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

What are my credentials to say this? I am a decorated military veteran (25th Infantry Division, Cu Chi, Republic of Vietnam), who participated in an unpopular, ill-conceived war. I was told we were there to defend the Constitution when, in fact, we were there to provide cover for White House lies (does anyone remember the Gulf of Tonkin resolution?).

Your polemic tars an entire class of people with a brush that they did not earn. As a concerned citizen, one who questions another US military adventure, and an Army veteran, I am entitled to more respect...

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