Hearts and minds, boys, hearts and minds

Disgusting.

They love us everywhere we go....

That reminds me of this VietNam era song by Don Maclean. (Sorry I couldn't find a video for this, but here are the lyrics):

You see, everybody loves me baby,
What's the matter with you?
Won't you tell me what did I do to offend you?

Now the purest race I've bred to be to live in my deomocracy
And the highest human pedigree awaits the first born boy baby
And my face on every coin engraved, the anarchists are all enslaved
My own flag is forever waved by greatful people I have saved.

You see, everbody loves me baby
What's the matter with you
Won't you tell me what did I do to offend you

Now, no man is beyond my claim
When the land is seized in the people's name by
Evil men who rob and maim if war is hell I'm not to blame

Well you can't blame me, I'm the heaven's child
I'm the second son of Mary Mild
And I'm twice removed from Oscar Wilde
But he didn't mind why he just smiled

Yes, and the ocean parts when I walk through
And the clouds dissolve and the sky turns blue
And I'm held in very great value by everyone I meet
But you

Cause I've used my talents as I could,
I've done some bad, I've done some good
I did a whole lot better than they thought I would so
Come on and treat me like you should

Because everybody loves me baby,
What's the matter with you?
Won't you tell me what did I do, to offend you?

The sad thing about this is it hurts those good soldiers that most of us our supporting (regardless of whether you support the war). So many of our soldiers are just trying to do their job in a situation they shouldn't have been called to be in, and their good efforts are totally destroyed by jerks like these. Today when I meet a soldier back from Iraq, I don't even know how to respond to them, because I'm wondering in the back of my mind "what kind of soldier were you?"

As far as "supporting the troops" goes, that utterly hollow phrase makes me gag. "Support the troops" means absolutely nothing unless you actually make some sacrifices to change their situation - even if its something as simple as using less oil, driving less (like all Americans did during the REAL war for national survival in the 1940s.)

A brilliant satirical song about this: "Stick Magnetic Ribbons On Your SUV":

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KmsOIjzQ1V8

I see your point, Ivan. I guess it can be called "supporting the troops" in contrast to the way their Vietnam War counterparts were treated. I think the Vietnam War and Iraq are very very similar (have we no memory??!!!!), but the public is more mature about it in the Iraq war in that we know the fault lies on Bush's head, not like the ostracization of the troops back in Vietnam.

Chip, you seem to be very young, so I think you probably don't have any personal memories of the VietNam war era.

Let me tell you something that might surprise you. The myth of how VietNam soldiers/vets were "osctracised: by civilians when they came back home is just that, a myth, an urban legend. Actually, most of them were not treated any more poorly (in personal ways, mind you) than those who returned from World War Two. (And, contrary to ANOTHER popular myth, the guys who returned from World War Two were NOT treated like heroes, they did NOT have a red carpet rolled out for them - except for a token parade or two, most vets who returned from World War Two went through a lot of psychological hell, but this was covered up in many ways.)

No, most American civilians did NOT "OSCTRACISE" returning Viet Nam vets badly, not in personal ways.

However, their government betrayed them by sending them into that fucked up war (a more fucked up one than others, which are all fucked up) - and among their other problems was that the Viet Nam troops were generally from poorer, more hopeless classes to begin with. Unlike WW II, the Viet Nam war was mostly a lower/working class affair. Most guys didn't go if they could get out of it; most middle class college boys avoided it. (hmmm, JUST LIKE those middle class college boys avoid the IRAQ war NOW, even while they chatter hypocritical shit about "supporting the troops")

Thus, the Viet Nam vets were disproportionately poor, and in a country which has almost no social safety net (despite the propaganda about the "welfare state", America has almost none, except for the wealthy) - so, coming home with fucked up minds from a fucked up war - and with no money and poor prospects - many Viet Nam vets sank into the shit.

But it had very little to do with being "osctracised", and everything to do with America's class system and lack of social safety nets.