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IPFS News Link • General Opinion

Conservatives Hate the Truth About the Troops

• https://www.fff.org

After the publication of my article "Thank You for Your Killing," I received a vituperative twitter attack by a self-labeled conservative woman, who called me an "idiot," said I was "NO AMERICAN" (her caps), called me a "liberal," said I don't "deserve to live in the USA," and accused me "dishonoring" the troops.

That conservative's attack on me is a perfect demonstration of the life of the lie that has long characterized American conservatives, especially when it comes to what the troops are doing in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Take a close look at my article. Contrary to what my conservative critic suggested, nowhere in my article do I dishonor, criticize, condemn, or disparage the troops.  Instead, all I do is point out the facts: one of which is what the troops are doing — and have been doing for more than 15 years — in Afghanistan and Iraq: killing people.

No one can deny that. It's simply the truth. It's what the troops have been doing for more than 15 years in those two countries. They have been killing people. They still are killing people.

When conservatives and other statists thank the troops for their service in Afghanistan and Iraq, they want everyone to simply leave it at that. They don't want anyone to ask a natural question: What does the "service" that the troops are performing consist of?

That's one reason why that conservative woman was so upset at me. She obviously doesn't want to think about that question.

In a reply tweet, I specifically asked her whether she felt that anything I had written was incorrect or false. She just responded with more nastiness, which indicates that she knew that everything I had written was true and accurate. She obviously just didn't like the fact that I had pointed out the obvious: that the "service" that people thank the troops for consists of killing people.

Given such, what's wrong with being more specific when thanking the troops? What's wrong with saying to the troops, "Thank you for your killing" rather than "Thank you for your service"? What is it about that specific question that makes that conservative woman so angry and upset?

That brings us to the other reason that that conservative woman was so upset with me — the reason why the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are killing people and have been killing people for more than 15 years. My conservative critic has convinced herself (or permitted government officials to convince her) that the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are killing people in order to defend the United States and to protect our rights and freedoms here at home.


www.universityofreason.com/a/29887/KWADzukm