DON'T HATE THE PLAYER, HATE THE GAME, PART II of II

Debate Heats up as Presidential Visit to Salt Lake City Approaches, Part II

By Tracy Medley, 8-29-06

Mr. Mero’s use of divisive “us or them” language is crafted in such as way as to maintain the disparity and heighten the fears among those who disagree about the war in Iraq. If you’re “honest” and “of good will” then you agree with him and if you don’t agree with him, well, you get the picture. The problem with Mero’s argument is that it leaves out much of the complexity behind both sides of the issue

For some, like Collette Gourley the war in Iraq is an attempt to not just right the literal wrongs of September 11, but to correct the tactical mistakes of ignoring vital evidence concerning threats against our country.

For others, like Cindy Sheehan the war in Iraq was a bad idea from the start. A pre-emptive war, waged with less than credible evidence of weapons of mass destruction and unbelievable accusations of ties with Al-Qaida. From this perspective, President Bush has carelessly placed our troops, our loved-ones in perilous circumstances without an exit strategy and without much regard for their sacrifice.

Over the course of his presidency, George W. Bush has repeatedly slashed funding for veterans, cut soldier’s imminent-danger pay, and refused to provide troops in Iraq with Kevlar body armor. In 2003 alone $3 billion in funding for VA hospitals was cut by the Bush administration, just the first step in the larger plan to cut funding by $25 billion over the next ten years. Support our troops, indeed.

For Mayor Rocky Anderson, speaking out against the Bush administration is his patriotic duty, a calling he feels is more important than playing host. “Patriotic Americans believe that those in power must earn their authority over other human beings. That authority is not earned simply by gaining office; it is earned by upholding our nation’s values.”

Despite the extreme criticism and harassment he’s received, it is clear to most that Rocky’s convictions about the war and disparagement of the Bush administration, in no way diminishes his respect for the troops. “The Bush administration and Congress, with the help of a complacent and complicit news media, were directly responsible for misleading the American public into an unnecessary, tragic war that has killed more than 2,600 and maimed more than 19,000 courageous men and women in our armed forces.”

Perhaps Anderson’s most compelling argument is one he borrowed from President Theodore Roosevelt, “To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

Those who would take pot-shots at Ms. Sheehan during her visit to Salt Lake City would do well to remember that she is not as Paul Mero called her a "professional protester," but a grieving mother who lost her son, who died serving our country. Do her politics negate his sacrifice? Is the politicization of her grief, at its core any different than that of the Galvez family? They are dealing with the same loss, but have come to very different conclusions about who is to blame, but can any of us say with a certainty which is the right conclusion? Should either family be told to remain silent?

With all due respect, it is unjust and untrue to color the context of this war and the contents of the hearts of those who oppose it, in black & white.

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