Screwing the troops

Those yellow bumper stickers proclaiming "I support the troops" probably help a lot of people feel good about themselves. For most, the stickers are a meaningless symbol and a self-congratulatory indulgence.

For the few who actually do something to support the troops, such as sending a son or daughter off to war or visiting a wounded soldier in the hospital, this diatribe is not for you. But for the rest who ask kids from the wrong side of the tracks in places like rural West Virginia, inner-city Detroit, and east Los Angeles to sacrifice their lives so that they can continue to drive their SUVs, you should be ashamed.

The "support the troops" rhetoric and imagery belies the reality of what President Bush, and by extension, those who voted for him, have done to the young men and women in the military:

• Repeatedly misled them about the reasons for the Iraq war.
• Failed to send enough troops to secure Iraq, leaving American soldiers more vulnerable to attacks.
• Endorsed the use of torture and humiliation, enraging many Muslims and further endangering the troops.
• Invoked policies to chain people to the military well beyond the commitments they've agreed to.
• Provided inadequate funding for veterans.
• Watched military divorce rates skyrocket because of these disastrous policies.

If you really want to support the troops, click here.