Leave it to Kerry, an elite frat boy, to blurt out the grim truth in the most humiliating way possible for US soldiers in Iraq.
Just goes to show that neither Democrats nor Republicans give a crap about our troops or the economic reality that has the vast majority of them stuck on the frontlines because they have no better options.
At least three Democrats locked in close U.S. Senate races have joined calls from Republican leaders for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to apologize for comments viewed as insulting to American troops.
"Education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well," Kerry told students in Pasadena while campaigning for California gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. "If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," he added.
Conservatives felt Kerry had insulted the troops by implying that the joined the military and ended up to Iraq because they were stupid or poorly educated. Several Republicans including President Bush and Sen. John McCain called on Kerry to apologize.
Democratic Rep. Harold Ford, who is running to replace retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist from Tennessee, said Tuesday that "whatever the intent, Sen. Kerry was wrong to say what he said" and called on his party's 2004 presidential candidate to apologize.
Another Democrat, Montana Senate President Jon Tester - who is challenging Republican Sen. Conrad Burns - said Kerry "owes our troops and their families an apology" because the comment was "poorly worded and just plain stupid."
What do you expect from an elite and insensitive plutocrat?
The fact that what he said is true only makes it more offensive.
It's common knowledge that the vast majority of enlisted men and women - THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN - have little if any opportunities outside the military.
But, Kerry wasn't saying it to his fellow senators in protest over the bleak economic situation that leaves so many of our country's youth vulnerable to recruiters for the great American corporate meat-grinder.
No.
He was saying it to a group of relatively privileged youth in shameless resignation to the status quo.
Meanwhile, his selfish colleagues worry about their margins at the polls.
Rep. Ben Cardin, a Democrat running to replace retiring Sen. Paul Sarbanes in Maryland, said Kerry should apologize to clear up confusion about the war in Iraq.
Ford, the son of former Rep. Harold Ford Sr., is in a close race with Republican Bob Corker. A CNN poll conducted Saturday showed Corker leading Ford by 8 points. A Rasmussen poll conducted Sunday showed Corker's lead at only two points, within the margin of error.
Tester leads Burns in a recent Rasmussen poll by only three percentage points, within the 4.5-point margin of error.
Cardin, who earlier this month was polling 11 percent ahead of Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, has seen his lead shrink to only five points in the heavily Democratic state.
Many Democrats have remained silent on the Kerry controversy while others, including Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, have backed him, criticizing what they called a "text book Republican campaign tactic."
In a news conference Tuesday, Kerry refused to apologize for the remarks, which he said were a "botched joke" intended to make fun of the president for getting the U.S. "stuck in Iraq."
Yeah, real funny - *sshole.
Make fun of the president at the expense of other people's dignity.
Of course, enlisted men and women are not blameless. Some obviously are homicidal maniacs and naturally my arguments don't apply to them.
I agree that "Even if one had to work at Wal-Mart or some other dead end job to make ends meet, that is more honorable than compromising one's principles."
Nevertheless, I can't help but cut some of these people some slack. First, many of them had very difficult lives and for them the concept of principles is not obvious in a culture as depraved and as immoral as America can be when you're raised without guidance - as many of these young people are - and every generation it gets worse.
In fact, many of these people end up raising themselves either because they come from broken homes or because both parents work. So, no I'm not ashamed to have some empathy for people who have very harsh lives - even if they are making grave mistakes.
Although, I suspect that many assume that they'll be lucky and not have to go to combat. Whether or not they're right in their assessment is beside the point,
Finally, as you said, these people are often very uneducated and though you seem to hold that against them - I consider that a mitigating factor because they are consequently more easily deceived and manipulated - ergo less responsible for their actions than someone who knows better and who hasn't gone through all the shit that they've gone through.
In some cases - I would argue that they don't even know what they're doing. If you've been reading my blog for a while, go back and see some of the videos I've posted on mind control and manipulation. Americans are brainwashed - I see it around me everyday.
Does it justify their conduct - of course not, but it mitigates their culpability compared to a scumbag like Kerry or any of his other skull and bones cohorts who led all these young people to war based on demostrable lies.
In the end, every one of them shares some degree of blame. My point was that Kerry is a scumbag for denigrating these people as if they're expendable idiots.
But, thanks, anonymous, for your thoughtful comment. Maybe next time, you'll share your pen name with us so I know who I'm talking to.
qrs, thanks for your reply. I have been following your blog for quite some time. For the most part I think you are doing a pretty bang-up job. But on this matter I'm far less forgiving on both the leaders as well as the followers, the manipulators as well as the manipulated. Additionally, I would just like to clarify that I do not hold a person's education level against them. But if an individual has a corrupted value system that perpetuates gross immorality, then I definitely hold it against them, regardless of education level. Anyhow, I guess you got my pen name now, abu zainab, previously under blogspot it would automatically sign me in. I'm still getting used to your new website. Peace.
I knew that I was talking to someone smart and articulate.
I understand how you feel and only God knows how both manipulators and manipulated will be judged.
As for the innocents of Iraq and Afghanistan - who suffer immeasurably for the sins committed by both - they are in my prayers day and night.