Chickenhawks

The comments on this post (hey, Jason, small world!) have got me riled.

Specifically, this:

My remarks were to point out how many of the pro-war activists are never going to see action. It is much easier to send people to war when you have never seen action yourself.

Easy, huh? Yeah, it's been really easy to just say "eh, so what about your son, Pamela. I know he's the apple of your eye, but I want cheap gas."

I didn't want to go to war. I didn't rejoice at the prospect. But I was glad when we finally acknowledged that there was a need and resolved to fight it properly. I am grateful for the men and women who do go, endlessly so. They are professionals who are doing their duty and I honor them for that. Nevertheless, it is not "easy" to let them go, or hear of their deaths or watch others make light of their service because it suits their own personal agenda vis-a-vis the current administration. I pray daily for an end to this war that brings fair treatment to all. I'm very much in favour of leaving Iraq, but I don't want to err by leaving the Iraqis without support. There has been precedent for world power nations offering fiscal, troop and materiél support and then leaving once an independent democracy is formed.

None of these are easy questions to ask, and the answers aren't easy to give.

Side Note 1 I am in favour of going to my urologist, even though I never had the guts to go to med school myself.

Side Note 2 I really wish they'd stop using the term "Chickenhawk" for non-combatant war supporters. Where I come from this word has much more evil connotations and use of it as a perjorative, while clever, is not promoting rational discourse.