Support the Troops. Bumper-Sticker or Action.

Is it a bumper-sticker soundbite or will it acutally become the actions of those that say it?

I feel for our soilders. In my opinion, each and every one of them will have some sort of 'issue' to deal with. Be it medical, mental or spiritual, the returning soilders are "going" to need support for years if not for the remainder of there lives.

Over the last four or five years, I've become a C-Span junkie. Besides the fact that there are no commercials, it is very eye-opening to watch our elected officials, authors, world leaders/ ambassadors, etc..

Like most of us, I am going to focus on what I disagree with. But before I do that I want to express the profound confidence I have in our specie to over come by creative thought and implementation, horrific problems and situations. I have no doubt that this present 'crisis' will also be overcome and thus used as a learning tool of what to avoid and why.

Now to the crisis. Our country and world are being directed by people of similar "personality types". Control over populace is the goal. Therefore, we in the United States are subjected to control devices different than those used in other countries. The main strategy of divide and conquer, was effectively used to distract 'most' of the populace, as we watch our politicians and other so-called leaders argue extreme positions. When we are not aware of this manipulation, our brain (thought process) is forced to choose between only the arguments presented. For example; We support the troops, and 'they' don't.

The use of this type of argument is limiting, lacking depth and definition and untrue. If we are pigeon-holed into these two opposites without any mature dialogue about the real issues that define "support", we are only going to remain divided in an unwinnable discussion.

A further example of why bumper sticker sound bites must be better defined was reported briefly in our main-stream media this week;

when we say we must support our troops, does this support include the (rare and) unfortunate rape and murder of an Iraqi teen? Are we supposed to blindly support the murder of her family? Do we thoughtlessly support them by keeping them in a conflict between groups of people that don't particularly care for them?

Are the torture tactics and door to door intrusions supported by the people we are liberating, and worthy of your support? Do our politicians that vibrantly urge us to support the troops, show their support by making sure their protective gear and vehicles are up to par? Do these same politicians vote to increase the money to care for these troops when medical, mental and spiritual healing is needed? Have the rehabilitation services for our veterans been given the same vigor and focus as we see demonstrated while ordering them into war?

Is this even a war? If so, who is the enemy? Can we attack the enemy, or do we have to wait to see which one of the civilian dressed people are angry enough to pick up arms against us? Do we know? Were the intelligence documents wrong intentionally or by error?

Where is Osama Bin Laden? Wheat happens if we are challenged or even attacked by another nation? A country that 'actually has' a functioning army, navy and airforce. How many of our troops support their mission? Last week there was (again a very brief) news story regarding a petition created, circulated and signed by soilders on the ground in Iraq. The petition was an extremely rare instance in which military personnel courageously express their true feelings that contrast with leadership. All of those courageous soilders that signed the petition risk retaliation, but obviously felt the need to express their opposition to continuing and increasing efforts in a civilian conflict.

How many soilders feel the same? How many would express their opposition if they were guaranteed immunity from retaliation? How many soilders would immediately choose to come home if the choice was given to them?

If one of these returning soilders were to relapse or have a mental breakdown

that eventually led to homelessness, would you still offer them (him/her) your support? History shows that anger and violent episodes are common in veterans of war, would you be able to support a veteran if he/she harmed a friend?

If I encourage our government in the effort to 'stay the course' would I then be partly responsible for the support they will need upon return? Does support for exposing a young citizen to the hell of war also mean one must support them financially, mentally, caringly when they come home?

Please try to think more for yourself. If we continue to rest our brain, fall alseep, and trust that our ship will be safely without our input and contribution; If we allow the captains' chart that has been purposefully or mistakenly wrong many times, to plot our ships' coarse: we may run aground, wake up and not be able to recognize the country that we now call home.