Comments on: I do not support our troops

By: Louis

Louis — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:34:38 +0000

Canadian troops are not on the front line between civil freedom in Canada and utter chaos. Anyone that thinks so is a hopeless and dangerous romantic.

Canadian troops are not volunteers. They are paid government employees.

Despite the efforts of the government to convince you otherwise, Canadians do not routinely enter the armed services through an act of selfless altruism.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 03:48:07 +0000

It is only because of people like “our troops” that you actually have the freedom to openly disagree with anything you want. Believe it or not there are still places where you cannot. So I guess you do “support or troops” by using the freedoms that they have provided you with, which is why so many of them have died since before you were born, and they will continue to do that just for Canadians like you.

I suggest that you do a little research, or perhaps even talk to one of the soldiers, or peace officers who have been over there and ask them what they are actually doing there. They are doing more for the people there then just getting themselves blown up. Things like building schools, making drinkable water where there has been none, and numerous other things to make the quality of life better for the people there. Perhaps when you talk to one of the soldiers or peace officers you will learn that they actually believe in what they are doing…. helping the people. There is more to the Canadian Forces then being a war machine, which it is not by any means. Let me provide you with a little information….. there are more spectators at a CFL football game then there are troops in the Canadian Forces. They are also the people that arrive and help out everywhere in the world when problems arise…. you know like ice storms, flooding, earthquakes, tornados and other natural disasters.

Perhaps the “Support our Troops” logo doesn’t just mean while they are at war. Perhaps it means when they doing their job, a job that not everyone can do, or doesn’t want to. Remember these people volunteer to do this for you.

So yes I do support our troops, in everything they do.

By: Will S.

Will S. — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:10:41 +0000

“Support the troops”, a meaningless slogan designed to stifle dissent, to force everyone to get in line and approve the war, whether or not they do.

http://tinyurl.com/conformistdrivel

By: Timothy (TRiG)

Timothy (TRiG) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:27:47 +0000

Support the troops: Bring them home!

***

Our army (Ireland) is mainly deployed in UN-supported peacekeeping missions in the Lebanon and similar areas.

TRiG.

By: Casey

Casey — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:31:29 +0000

I would not want to send our troops! But they’re there, and we need to support them! Every province and every town has lost someone, we need to support them. Unfortunatly some kids don’t do good in school and tgis is the only job they can get, sign up for the military and make crappy money! Atleast they’re working, but shit , at what cost!

By: CommieCowboy

CommieCowboy — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:30:47 +0000

I believe that the war in Afghanistan is wrong, I would never place a Support Our Troops bumper sticker either, and if you ever see me wearing red on Friday, it’s either a coincidence or an entirely different political statement (Hint: I don’t refer to the Liberal Party of Canada.). That said, I believe that so long as they are there, they be fed the best food that is practically possible to give them and that they be given serviceable arms and robust body armour. As for why I feel it’s wrong, all you have to do is look at the history of the various groups that form the Northern Alliance, and you won’t see people who are committed to the liberation of Afghanistan’s oppressed women or to building a free, just, and egalitarian Afghanistan…Those people fell victim to the American-armed and funded Mujahideen and their Maoist allies, as China and the West sold the people of Afghanistan a shit sandwich all for the sake of bringing down the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union’s intentions for Afghanistan were obviously not selfless (a trademark of just about everything it did following Vladimir Lenin’s dead), but their local allies were genuinely committed to breaking the back of the feudal warlords and Islamist militias who were holding the country back….Instead, you’ll see various Islamist factions with a history of brutality, rape, and pillage…Sort of like the Taliban, trained in Pakistani madrassas opened by a WASHINGTON-BACKED military dictatorship, only less likely to result in a stable Afghanistan.

By: Renny

Renny — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:26:07 +0000

An excellent article. I have struggled wth my discomfort over this slogan for some time, particularly after that chain email circulated about the “red shirt” campaign, as you’re left with the feeling that you’re being bullied into a “yer either with us, or aginst us” situation. Thanks for parsing the problem so eloquently.

By: Ron

Ron — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:34:31 +0000

Well thought out article. I do “support our troops” but hate war. If we pull our troops out of Afghanistan, I believe that Canadian freedom will not be significantly impacted. Afghan freedom would though and Canadians are helping to create peace there. The question is whether Canada has the right to be part of the “World Police”.

I found your article by searching for comments on the bumper sticker “If you don’t stand behind our troops, feel free to stand in front of them.” When I saw this on a large sedan in the Walmart parking lot last night, I failed to understand how this would persuade someone to change their stance on war except possibly because of fear. This bumper sticker is a multiple logical fallacy. It is all at once a False Dichotomy, a Non Sequitur and an Equivocation.

What if I had a bumper sticker that said “Live for Christ or go to hell”? Would that make you want to become a Christian? Or does “Stand up against bullying or sit down and shut up” make you feel warm and fuzzy towards the issue of bullying?

By: Brett

Brett — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:25:35 +0000

Saw your post on the Dinesh article about PZ and had to check out your blog.

I enjoyed this post. Definitely not something I’ve given much thought about (saying “support the troops” is often the easy way out of a difficult discussion with people who either strongly support or oppose the war!) but your points are good ones!

Bookmarked the blog, will come by again.