US Military Man's Stateside Experience

[Timber Loftis]

Is it just another made-up story that people send around in email? Maybe. I don't have time to Snopes it. But, enjoy it if you please:
__________________________________________________ ______

A Military Mom tells this about her son ....
>
>As some of you may know, one of my sons serves in the military. He is
>still stateside, here in California. He called me yesterday to let me know how
>warm and welcoming people were to him, and his troops, everywhere he goes,
>telling me how people shake their hands, and thank them for being willing to
>serve, and fight, for not only our own freedoms but so that others may have
>them also.
>
>But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at
>yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said that ahead of several
>people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a burkha. He said when she
>got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the US flag lapel pin the cashier
>wore on her smock.
>
>The cashier reached up and touched the pin, and said proudly, "yes, I always
>wear it and I probably always will."
>The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop
>bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was an Iraqi.
>
>A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm around
>my son's shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a calm and gentl e
>voice to the Iraqi woman: "Lady, hundreds of thousands of men and women like
>this young man have fought and died so that YOU could stand here, in MY
>country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen. It is
>my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn't
>need to be there today. But, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so
>loudly and clearly, I'll gladly buy you a ticket and pay your way back to Iraq so
>you can straighten out the mess in YOUR country that you are obviously here
>in MY country to avoid."
>
>Everyone within hearing distance cheered.

[Davros]

Not so much of a current event really - was it, but lets explore your thoughts on this a little more TL.

Was this in your opinion an example of "good versus evil", or "evil versus good", or are perhaps the pair of them both indulging in a mildly over the top form of patriotism as a means of expressing the love of their countries?

Are you surprised that the target audience cheered? Do you think they were cheering for the clever shopkeeper (for articulating popular sentiment), for the faithful soldier, or against the gal in the bukha?

Do you think it is wrong that some sample of the Iraqii population should resent the presence of our occupying forces in their country? After all, to expect everyone to want to be liberated is akin to my old headmaster declaring to the year 10's before the assembled school "you will do sport, and you WILL enjoy it".

[Davros]

Just curious about where you came across this one TL - it's not exactly NRO stuff but it seems like something I should recognise.

[Timber Loftis]

After all, to expect everyone to want to be liberated is akin to my old headmaster declaring to the year 10's before the assembled school "you will do sport, and you WILL enjoy it".

As far as I'm concerned, the only people in any non-free land who do not want to see liberation are those who benefit from the lack of freedom, from the dictator above down to the rank-and-file members of his "in crowd," be they Saddam's Baathists or another incarnation of the same.

It isn't the same as "you will do sport, and you WILL enjoy it." It is more accurately, "you will do as you please and determine your own way, and you likely will enjoy it."

I think people want to be free, and if that is a cultural hegemon my nation is guilty of forcing on the world, I am happy to let my nation force it. Our founding fathers believed in it, Roosevelt believed in it as did Churchill, Reagan believed in it, and GWB believes in it. So do I.

Of course many Iraqis will resent occupation -- anyone does. This is axiomatic to the above-stated presumption. However, so long as they are willing to do so peacably, they NOW have every right to protest all they like and speak out all they like. Imagine how new that is to them. And, if they will cut us some slack and quit attacking long enough, we will have a lot of things rebuilt for them, and then we will get the hell out of their way and let them go back to making oodles of money off their massive oil reserves (which we have kept our hands off of, by and large, I am glad to note).

[ 06-09-2004, 12:22 PM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]

[Donut]

I believe it.