RUSH: Well, Mr. Snerdley just brought me something. I wish I could say I was surprised by it, but I’m not. It’s from Salon.com. It ran this past Sunday. And here is the headline: “You Don’t Protect My Freedom: Our Childish Insistence on Calling Soldiers Heroes Deadens Real Democracy — It’s been 70 years since we fought a war about freedom. Forced troop worship and compulsory patriotism must end.”
“You Don’t Protect My Freedom: Our Childish Insistence on Calling Soldiers Heroes Deadens Real Democracy.” And here’s how this piece begins by David Masciotra, or Masciotra, not sure how he pronounces it. “Put a man in uniform, preferably a white man –” because Salon is one of the most racial publications I think I know. They can’t write a paragraph without some racial reference in it, I don’t care what the story’s about.
“Put a man in uniform, preferably a white man, give him a gun, and Americans will worship him. It is a particularly childish trait, of a childlike culture, that insists on anointing all active military members and police officers as “heroes.” The rhetorical sloppiness and intellectual shallowness of affixing such a reverent label to everyone in the military or law enforcement betrays a frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism, but it also makes honest and serious conversations necessary for the maintenance and enhancement of a fragile democracy nearly impossible.”
Meaning this reverence for the military makes serious conversation about how to really enhance democracy nearly impossible, ’cause everybody’s being so irrational in supporting these pretenders who really don’t have a thing to do with our freedom. Put a white man in a uniform and he’s automatically a hero. Now, here comes a leftist publication assigning that culture to totalitarianism? The man has it a little backwards here.
“It is equally challenging for anyone reasonable, and not drowning in the syrup of patriotic sentimentality, to stop saluting, and look at the servicemen of the American military with criticism and skepticism. There is a sexual assault epidemic in the military. In 2003, a Department of Defense study found that one-third of women seeking medical care in the VA system reported experiencing rape or sexual violence while in the military. Internal and external studies demonstrate that since the official study, numbers of sexual assaults within the military have only increased, especially with male victims.”
And it goes on. This is the kind of stuff that was being talked about all over TV with John Kerry and Jack Murtha agreeing that American Marines in Iraq were terrorizing women and children. And this is why I wanted to go, and did for the longest time, do what’s called a troop visit. Anyway, it’s a long piece. That’s all the time I’m gonna take with it, but pretty much sums it up. Military people are not heroes just ’cause they have guns and wear uniforms, especially white ones. They don’t protect our freedom. It’s a childlike culture that pretends all of this is happening.
I haven’t read far enough to find out who he thinks really is protecting our freedom. (interruption) Well, I’m not surprised it’s all vile. Did you read the whole thing? (interruption) Okay, well, who is protecting our freedom then? If the US military is not doing it, who is it in this guy’s opinion? (interruption) He doesn’t even say? So the whole point of the piece is cops and military are bad and suspect and we’re misplacing reverence in them? (interruption) All right. Yeah.
I guess this guy’s putting his life on the line writing this, huh? So he’s guaranteeing our freedom and taking such a brave, brave stance. Anyway, just to show you the American left in all its glory, there they are. Salon.com. Joan Walsh is the editor. Sad.