MICKEY Z.: DON'T support our troops (inform them)

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Mickey Z. -- World News Trust

For some Americans, the phrase "support our troops" is little more than a euphemism for: "support the policies that put our troops in harm's way." For Americans of the liberal persuasion, ever cautious not to offend those mythical fence sitters, the phrase "support our troops" is a safe way to avoid taking a principled stand against this war (and all war). Either usage of the phrase "support our troops" does nothing to challenge the latest mission in particular or the concept of military intervention in general.

There are simple, almost knee jerk methods by which the idea of unconditional support for our soldiers during war can be questioned. The easiest involves any variation of this query: Would it have been acceptable for the people of Nazi Germany to support "their boys" even if those same folks did not agree with Hitler's maniacal methods?

However, in the name of toning down the emotional potency, here's a different challenge: Let's say you're opposed to animal experimentation.

Would you be amenable to "supporting" the actual scientists performing lab experiments? Surely they are "just doing their job" and "following orders" as much as any U.S. Marine in Iraq. Or what if you're an activist fighting to end exploitative labor practices? Is it acceptable to hate the CEOs of Nike and The Gap but still hang yellow ribbons for the men and women who handle day-to-day operations of a sweatshop in, say, Vietnam? They're just as "stuck in a bad situation" as the soldiers who ran the show at Abu Ghraib, right?

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