Walking to work Monday I passed by a group of aging hippies protesting the war in Iraq. The group, which probably number around 10 in all, were holding two signs. One said "War kills children" and the other said something to the effect of bring the troops home now. Interestingly there was a guy who decided to stop and argue with them, although their dialogue was wrapping up as I walked by and only caught the tail end.
Basically he told them that if the U.S. were to pull out of Iraq it would be an unmitigated disaster for the country and would place the Iraqi people at the mercy of a bunch of thugs and butchers, concluding by stating "You really have to think about what you're advocating."
Not exactly quick on the draw in response, one woman finally sputtered out "Well, why don't you go over then?"
This, of course, is non-sensical. Whether that guy goes to Iraq or not has nothing to do with whether it is a worthwhile enterprise.
Walking away I couldn't help but think about the signs they were holding. "War kills children." Well, yes it does. But then again, so do automobiles. War also has killed lots of other people, people we should be glad to be rid of -- a point noted by some counter-protestors.
The sign urging the withdrawal of troops is the one that really got me though. As the guy who stopped to argue with them noted, if you think Iraq is bad with American troops, just wait to see what it's like without them. But these protestors don't care about Iraq just like they don't care about the troops. All they care about is bashing Bush -- and perhaps trying to relive the 60s.
These people can say whatever they want, but they can't convince me that they have either the best interest of the Iraqi people or our troops at heart. They just live their lives based on simple platitudes such as "war is bad" and "worst president ever." If you want to come out, like Pat Buchanan has, and claim that we should withdraw our troops because it's not in our national interest to keep them in Iraq, fine. But don't simultaneously call for their withdrawal while professing to have the best interest of the Iraqi people at heart.
Basically he told them that if the U.S. were to pull out of Iraq it would be an unmitigated disaster for the country and would place the Iraqi people at the mercy of a bunch of thugs and butchers, concluding by stating "You really have to think about what you're advocating."
Not exactly quick on the draw in response, one woman finally sputtered out "Well, why don't you go over then?"
This, of course, is non-sensical. Whether that guy goes to Iraq or not has nothing to do with whether it is a worthwhile enterprise.
Walking away I couldn't help but think about the signs they were holding. "War kills children." Well, yes it does. But then again, so do automobiles. War also has killed lots of other people, people we should be glad to be rid of -- a point noted by some counter-protestors.
The sign urging the withdrawal of troops is the one that really got me though. As the guy who stopped to argue with them noted, if you think Iraq is bad with American troops, just wait to see what it's like without them. But these protestors don't care about Iraq just like they don't care about the troops. All they care about is bashing Bush -- and perhaps trying to relive the 60s.
These people can say whatever they want, but they can't convince me that they have either the best interest of the Iraqi people or our troops at heart. They just live their lives based on simple platitudes such as "war is bad" and "worst president ever." If you want to come out, like Pat Buchanan has, and claim that we should withdraw our troops because it's not in our national interest to keep them in Iraq, fine. But don't simultaneously call for their withdrawal while professing to have the best interest of the Iraqi people at heart.
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