Bill Arkin To Troops: Shut Up

Washington Post columnist Bill Arkin authored this laughable and outrageous column today:

These soldiers should be grateful that the American public, which by all polls overwhelmingly disapproves of the Iraq war and the President's handling of it, do still offer their support to them, and their respect.

Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every rape and murder, the American public has indulged those in uniform, accepting that the incidents were the product of bad apples or even of some administration or command order.

Sure it is the junior enlisted men who go to jail, but even at anti-war protests, the focus is firmly on the White House and the policy. We just don't see very man "baby killer" epithets being thrown around these days, no one in uniform is being spit upon.

So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way, and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead, defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society?

So apparently free speech is for anti-war protesters, but not for the troops are are actually doing the fighting. This has to be the single dumbest column I have ever read. And read the comments, people just burn this guy (including me). Its great.

Look at some of the things he said:
- He calls our army "mercenary."
- He complains about the "amenities" we give our tropps. Like what? Food and cots?
- He basically denies the troops their freedom of speech. I wonder what this column would have looked like if the troops mouthed off against the president? I bet it would be different . . . cause it all about Bush.
- Its almost as if he thinks the troops are "brainwashed." I'll take a private who has served over some sanctimonious columnist any day when it comes to intellegence.

Comments

[Brett Coffee]

There are a lot of us who don't believe that the troops get the amenities they deserve, and many are stationed at remote bases around the world without the ability to communicate securely with their families or keep their morale up. While some might think that our troops receive "obscene amenities", I've never heard those complaints. Maybe it's in the eye of the beholder; maybe the columnist is more interested in an eye for an eye. But for those of us who think the troops deserve all our support, we support the troops through the SemperComm Foundation and similar organizations. If you understand how hard their job is, we invite you to check out our organization, and those who do similar works, out of our sense of duty and devotion to the troops who have that sense about each of us back here safe at home.

[George Templeton]

The idea that it is somehow wrong for the troops fighting to be frustrated by the morale situation here in the US is pretty amazing.
Look fair comment and criticism is fine, but to say that we indulge every Abu Ghraib and every Haditha is one of the worst smears of our great military that has been written print. It's a free country Mr. Arkin and I am free to say that what you wrote is disgraceful.