Military Families Living In Another World

In following the story of Cindy Sheehan's arrest in Washington, D.C. today, I started looking into this counter-protest group, Families United for our Troops and Their Mission. I'll say one thing for these guys: at least they're drawing more of a clear delineation between their views and the rest of us by throwing the "their mission" part in.

We all support the troops – those in the anti-war movement just happen to support them more – but the mission itself is clearly where we part ways.

The group's statement of purpose says they are "... united in their steadfast support of our men and women in uniform fighting the War on Terror, and for ensuring our troops are allowed to finish their mission."

Steadfast? Isn't that what people have always said about Curious George Bush? All that rigidity has gotten him is being wrong about everything. Also, you can see how misguided these people are right out of the gate by their repeating the same ignorant mantra about our troops fighting the "war on terror."

No, I'm afraid not. See, if they were fighting the war on terror, Osama bin Laden would be in custody or dead, instead of sunning himself in Afghanistan or Pakistan and watching Iraq become an Islamic Republic. Don't get me wrong: Our military is fully capable of fighting the war on terror – that's just not what they're doing. They are honorable men and women, inappropriately deployed to fight a war of George Bush's creation.

The group's web site also spotlights a quote from Kerry and Dodi White of Boscobel, Wisconsin, who have a son serving in Iraq and who say they "..find it sad that there are Americans that don’t stand behind our son as he fights for the very Freedom that they enjoy!"

As an American and a Veteran, I thank the White family and their son for his service. However, he most assuredly is not fighting for my freedom, as they imply and as every cheerleader for the Iraq war chants daily. Parroting the Bush administration's nonsense about the mission in Iraq, no matter how often it is said, doesn't make it so. Nobody in Iraq ever attacked me or my country and the majority of Americans now see it that way.

So I can only say to "Families United" that they are an organization whose founding premise is as flimsy as George's Bush's military record and who are at odds with at least 60 percent of the U.S. population.

Good luck with that.