I wonder which of the “journalists” are going to ask the top repuke candidate “so mitt, are your kids going to serve our country the same way you served our country?”

ya, I’ll hold my breath

Anyway, the perverse notion that all wars in which American soldiers die are good and make us stronger is simply refuted on its face.

American soldiers have been great, American wars, not since WWII have they been even worth fighting.

Do you mean by serving by way of deferment?

Just another fuckin’ chicken hawk.

Fuckin’ asshole.

Right on, OFG. The most energetic of the flag-wavin’ politicians on this day seem to be chicken hawks. To them it’s just another opportunity for coverage and photo-ops. (By the way, I’m US Army 3Apr67-2Apr69.)

Nice juxtaposition with previous piece about civilian casualities…WHEN Will We Ever Learn???? Maybe he can give us a lecture about being addicted to war.

The children of the elites don’t put their lives on the line, only the “little people” do that, the “little people” who were taught to believe the lies put forth by the elites.

There are no lifeforms lower than the chickenhawk.

“I will believe that violence will overcome violence when you can convince me that darkness will overcome darkness.” M K Gandhi

Well said, B.T.

This is typical of a Warpornologist. It is much more erotic to watch others perform, while touching themselves inappropriately, than it is to partake in the activity directly. Still, I love his Aqua Velva commercials.

There will always be a memorial day. I am looking forward to the day when we will not have to “celebrate” veterans day any more.

Thanks, Scarecrow.

There were honorable paths in the 60s: join the army, join the protesters and work to end the war, and leave the country. All of these paths were losers; some of us joined (I did), and accomplished nothing, and some of us protested, and accomplished nothing and some of us left and never returned, accomplishing nothing.

Then there was the Romney path, the chickenhawk path: cheer on the stupid joiners, hate on the protesters, and get rich.

BT is absolutely right: these stupid wars have left us weakened in moral fiber, weakened financially, and robbed of the contributions of the best of our generation.

Only the dreck is left: Romney, Cheney, Bush, Gingrich, and their fellow death-dealers, and moral cowards like Bill Clinton.

I mean, it’s a sad day. In the sense of remembering all the soldiers and sailors. just sad. Not sad, of course in the way most of us celebrate in with bar-b-qs and what not.

I was too young for that one and couldn’t follow orders. Pa spent time in the CO Camp and then cleanup detail in the pacific theater. No real connect to this holiday other than a day off from the job if your company does that. It’s easy to understand how one can use it in that way.

World War I and World War II did make the US relatively stronger (the other “great powers” were weaker by being the battlegrounds) and thus the cliche for the post-World War II generation of politicians. I’m not sure when “strength” overcame defense as the rhetorical flourish of patriotic remembrance. Did McKinley express that the Civil War made us stronger. But in the face of the post-World War II rolling catastrophe that Bush II only accelerated, Romney is showing how out of touch he is with reality and how lacking in real sentiments for those who actually fought and died in American wars–whether Americans or “collateral damage”. Politicians running for president do a disservice to the country by pontificating on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Veterans Day. (Or pandering on Martin Luther King’s birthday). The pontificatin’ on the high holy days of the American civil religion should be left to the President, the Contitutionally-designated pontificator. Mittens should have joined Palin and the other show-offs in the Harley parade with Steve Forbes in the sidecar.

Mormons get deferments for religious reasons they have to do 2 years I think of knocking on doors spreading the good word that yes Mexicans who built the pyramids were really Jews?
Then add in college deferments and well does Mitt really want people asking questions about how many Mormons served to protect our rights?

In Rome Senators resigned volunteered to serve when Hannible came, Alexander the Great let his Boyfriend see combat and he died, Genghis Khan lost his favorite youngest son to war.
For some reason since Vietnam well when was the last time a Millionaire or Politician lost a son or daughter?
Countries that have their ruling classes kids fight at the front either tend not to go to war or they win their wars.
They never have to listen to Rummy say about their armies not having enough bullet proof vest or armored humvees that you go to war with the army you have even a year or two after the fighting started.

If Politicians running for election want to go to charity events then maybe their tax status can get looked at?
Or the charities can ban politicians.

What I think of today is how can we get all the troops home now that Ossama is dead and we are sure Saddam never had any WMD.

always celebrate military Memorial Day? …perhaps because there is no Civilian Victims Memorial Day or CVM Century

I am offended by BT’s parenthetical note about none of Mitt’s five sons having served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

According to Mitt, they were doing something at least as important as all “those patriots who are on the battlefields today or have gone to battlefields in the past, some never to return.”

So I’d like to thank those five patriot sons of Mitt for doing their part to make our country stronger by bravely thinking their dad would “be a great president.”

It’s true that Senators did their part to make Rome great.

Of course, it’s also true that Rome fell because the elite stopped doing their part to make Rome great and just used their power to benefit themselves at Rome’s expense…

There’s no great mystery about why Rome fell.

I really do not “get” the idea or tone of your post. If it’s snark…so be it. If you are serious, I would note that his sons could contribute to the safety etc. of the country as well as anyone else. His claim is silly that somehow getting him elected enhances our security…sounds like a W sentence to me.

Sorry. It most definitely was snark. Would adding an “/s” or something at the end have made it clearer?

I knew it was snark.

There have been a few politicians who served in combat after WWII. Besides McCain, John Kerry and Al Gore were in VN. (Although Gore had a shortened tour, something like four months, but can’t remember exactly why.) Former Senator Bob Kerrey was a Navy Seal but don’t know if he saw action. Max Cleland, of course, who paid such a heavy price.

Funny, except for McCain and Chuck Hagel, I can’t think of any GOPers who went off to get shot at.

I’ll allow politicians to make speeches for Memorial Day and the Fourth if they actually were in the military. Chickenhawks, however, don’t get that pass.

Bob Dole comes to mind.

There were several. I believe Bush I saw action (from high above), but I’m not sure, I might be misremembering that one.

Oops, nevermind BeachPopulist, I guess you meant who served after WWII after reading your post again.

Pretty sure any action Dole and/or Bush I would’ve seen would’ve been in WWII.

General Smedley Butler – and his book War is a Racket, comes to mind in this post – so many of our wars now seem to be m=nothing more than protecting or advancing “our interests” which seem to waste our blood and treasure, but protect our corporteers’ profits.

On a personal note, a salute to my Dad (Korea), Uncle Frank (WWII, Bataan & Corregidor), Cousin John (peace-time Korea), Jerry Fields (Viet Nam, medivac – and currently in Kaiser, Sacramento following surgery for a cancerous tumor on his pancreas from exposure to Agent Orange), Cousin Jimmy, who’s lack of treatment for PTSD led to homelessness and a crushing beating, no way home.

For those of you who freaquent this site and served, I thank you and offer blessings of peace and grace.

I find the premise of this whole discussion amusing.

Many of us defended Bill Clinton when the Republicans attacked him for avoiding the draft. Mitt does exactly the same thing and is attacked from the left. And we are supposed to believe that his sons are less than manly because they didn’t fight in Iraq?

Blue Texan, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

The US doesn’t have journalists; it has corporate medis lapdogs impersonating journalists.

Excuse me, but Mitt Romney was and still is pandering to people who praised Bush and Cheney for starting a war of choice.

Democrats don’t deserve much respect for the way they didn’t do much to oppose the warmongering assholes, but at least they aren’t pandering to people who would praise the likes of Bush and Cheney for starting a war of choice.

Btw, what does Mitt have in common with Bush and Cheney?

Cheney had five deferments. Said he had more important things to do than go to Nam.

I don’t remember Bill Clinton cheering on the war in Vietnam, do you?

I’m one of several old hippies in our neighborhood who have kids in the military. I frequently wake up around 4 AM and wonder, “How did we get here?”

Much is due to collapse of economy that eliminated our home equity just as college arrived, loss of small business revenue that eliminated savings, diminished job opportunities for our son, but also because California’s public community colleges and state university system are so underfunded they can’t get enough classes to advance into higher paying jobs.

No, I don’t remember Bill Clinton cheering on the Vietnam War. And there is nothing in your post showing Mitt cheering on the Vietnam War either.

I’m sure it would be fairly easy to retrieve any number of Bill Clinton Memorial Day speeches in which he made generalized statements about the sacrifices of US military men and women in foreign conflicts. So what’s the point?

And I don’t see you criticizing Bill or Hilary Clintons for sheltering their daughter in elite educational institutions while American soldiers died in Afghanistan or Iraq?

I hold no brief for Mitt Romney. But I’m not ready to apply a Republican-style standard to him.