Pro-War, Anti-American

The ghoulish pro-war crowd (a thankfully dwindling number of die-hard Bush supporters and belligerent militarists mostly intent on battling Islam and other "foreigners") has marked another anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by making more ignorant, arrogant pronouncements.

One of the syllogisms these blockheads are fond of is this: All Americans Must Support the Troops. You Can’t Be Against the War and Still Support the Troops. Therefore, All Americans Must Support the War.

This couldn’t be more illogical. First of all, it begs at least two questions. Which war? There are at least two, maybe three, at the moment. There’s the war in Iraq, which most Americans, and virtually the rest of the world, oppose—the illegal war begun with deception and false premises by a corrupt American government. There’s the war in Afghanistan, which was supposed to be about hitting Al Qaeda, our real enemy, where they lived, but which, through Bush administration bungling is turning into a quagmire. If Afghanistan was the Soviet Union’s “Vietnam,” what does that make Afghanistan for us? And there’s the so-called “War on Terror,” thus named in order for the conniving Bush to justify the extra-constitutional actions he has taken to suppress dissent and generally restrict civil liberties.

And when the pro-war bunch talks about “winning the war,” what the hell do they mean? None of these wars is “winnable,” there is no enemy state that can “surrender” and if “terrorism” is the enemy then we’re in for perpetual war, because the more repressive we become—at home and abroad—the more terrorists we create. In fact, promoting peace and diplomacy is the only way to defeat terrorists, but the fascists won’t listen to such talk.

The second question is, How do We Support the Troops? The belligerents don’t seem to be talking about material support, although there are care packages and whatnot. Medical care doesn’t seem to be have been the Bush administration’s priority until the ill-treatment of wounded soldiers was recently brought to light. I can fully endorse that kind of support and have done so with contributions of cash and books. Lots of anti-war activists do, and I endorse the slogan "Support the Troops-Bring Them Home." But what the ghouls really mean by “support the troops” is this: cheer them on as they kill as many Iraqis as possible. And that’s not something I’m willing to do.

So, given the narrow definitions that the fascists use, the Pro-War Syllogism might make some sense. But I offer a corollary, the Pro-America Syllogism: Good Americans Want What’s Best for America. The War in Iraq is Detrimental to American Interests. Therefore, all Americans Must Oppose the War in Iraq.