Thanks to the young men and women who comprise the Chickenhawk Generation, we young people will forever be heralded as the most cowardly generation to date. After all, their endless support of the Iraq War yet tireless refusal to fight in it shows that we are, at the best, double-minded individuals and, at the worst, yellow-bellied scaredy cats.
This is not intended to insult Chickenhawkers from previous generations, like Vice President Dick Cheney, who ardently supported the Vietnam War, yet was issued five draft deferments because he had “other priorities.” Nor am I referring to Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who also supported the Vietnam War but didn’t—excuse me, couldn’t—fight in it because the minorities took up all the spots in the military. Not to discredit Mr. Cheney (unlike the other draftees, of course he had other priorities than being sent to die) or Mr. DeLay (darn those minorities!) but this new generation of Chickenhawks is bigger and better than the last—a group that is able to both passionately argue in support of the Iraq War yet conjure hundreds of reasons why they won’t be fighting in it.
The best and brightest of this Chickenhawk Generation are the College Republicans. In a video by Max Blumenthal, dozens of College Republicans rattled off a laundry list of reasons why the US should continue fighting in Iraq, the top reason being that “If we don’t fight them over there, they’ll come over here.” However, these war enthusiasts quickly lost their zeal after Blumenthal asked them whether they would be joining the military. Many cited “health reasons” for why they couldn’t join. Others said they hadn’t considered it before. The most repulsive answer was, “It’s not for me,” stated by those who felt that they would rather pursue more prominent careers, such as business, than denigrate themselves by joining the military. It seems that, like Mr. Cheney, they felt that their hopes and aspirations for the future were much more important than those of the thousands of young men and women currently serving in Iraq.
Instead of cheerleading from the sidelines, if you are an able-bodied adult who feels the Iraq War is a cause worthy enough for thousands of American soldiers to die for, you should be right on the front line with the comrades you claim to support. Until you are willing to make that sacrifice, please spare us your yellow ribbons, your “I Support the War” bumper stickers, and your nationalistic rhetoric. In other words, do everyone a favor and cluck off.
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I thought Cheney had a bad knee during Vietnam.
--Mike
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He just said that to get out of going to Canada.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.
I think the if we really feel this way we oughta stand up for what we believe I think we should be the first to be brave and not cowards, because as our generation comes in to take the stand, we now see the errors we must avoid.
I'm a young, I'm a teenager, I'm a girl and I'm confused. MaYK IT HaPN: event planning extraordinaires
I'm convinced that the only reason we don't have a grassroots protest movement against the war in Iraq (similar to the ones during the Vietnam era) is due to the fact that we don't have a draft.
I'm pretty sure that many people who claim to be in favor of our current state of affairs would flip-flop if the threat of being sent abroad as a member of the US armed forces became reality.
Don't support the war. Support the soldiers.
But we do have a grassroots protest movement against the war. Go into any major city for about two weeks, and you'll see that's very clear.
--Mike
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It's hard to imagine today how different things were then. College was free. I'm not talking less expensive, I mean free. The Middle Class had more wealth than they ever had had before, and the kids in the 60's and 70's reaped the benefits with a lot of free time.
The reason why we don't have street protests today like we did back then is because we don't have the free time necessary to make them possible. We're either in school that we are paying for ourselves, or at work trying to pay off our school loans, mortgages for those who have them, rent and energy bills for everyone else.
The elimination of the protest generation was one of the goals of the conservative movement right from the beginning. What they didn't see was the rise of the Internet.
Chad Lupkes, Seattle
If Democrats have a pre-911 view of things, Republicans have a pre-July 4th view of things.
You have a great idea there and that you are on the right track with your thinking....we don't have the outwardly protesting of this war like there was for Nam, because Free Speech "zones" have been established instead of marching down the street!!!!
I completely agree with you!
Okay, there is some serious lack of thought going on in this post. Please read my comment.
Whisper on a scream doesn't change a thing. - Kenny Wayne Sheppard Band
I just want to clarify something here: Are you saying that if we do not protest the war we should be fighting in it?
Not everyone wants to, let alone is capable of, joining the military service. One of my good friends joined the Marines and brought me along to the military recruiting office because he thought it would be awesome for us to go into boot camp together. I sat and listened and seriously considered the possibility of serving my country in this way, but I decided that "it wasn't for me." I really enjoy my life, especially college. I will graduate, and I will serve my country in the only way I will know how: teaching. Teaching and serving are two very different professions which are equally beneficial to the country in their own ways.
I respect my friend for his decision and I support him fully in all the actions that he and the rest of his peers do; however, I have no desire whatsoever to join the Marines. You can call me a coward, and I may not agree with the reasons why we are at war, but I will support my friend and his fellow troops.
Your judgments are rather unfounded and unfair and I hope you will soon find more respect for your generation and their decisions in life.
Whisper on a scream doesn't change a thing. - Kenny Wayne Sheppard Band
And I was a stupid kid with no life goals, no understanding of why I was doing what I was doing, and wasted 6 years. Serving my country was not the waste. I wasted my time because I didn't give it what I should have. But I served.
I serve the peace movement by NOT getting arrested in protests. I build online communications infrastructure for the overall movement. I don't think fighting in the streets is any more effective than being politically active. So while I certainly speak out against the Occupation, the Corporations, and Imperialism and everything else, I do that with my voice and my vote, not my feet. We don't have the time to get on the street. The real action is on the Net and in the legislatures.
Chad Lupkes
Seattle
If Democrats have a pre-911 view of things, Republicans have a pre-July 4th view of things.
Whew! I was worried that there wasn't going to be any thought or protest to all of the author's ideas. Thank you Chad.
And yes, you are correct about the center of life being on the internet; however, I wonder how effective it may be. I am unlearned in this respect: does the government pay attention to the blogs online enough to make a difference.
Whisper on a scream doesn't change a thing. - Kenny Wayne Sheppard Band
Oh, I'm sure they try, but they can't keep up. Like Bush is doing whack-a-mole in Iraq, any curtailing of free speech on the Internet will result in new opportunities and advances in technology to keep the communication channels open. Even if they shut down the hard lines, which they can't do because of the amount of commerce that goes through the pipes, the technology already exists to make wireless broadband a reality in every neighborhood in this country and around the world. Peer-to-Peer networks already exists, and we can't lose electrical power because our lives depend on it.
The "Revolution", which is a poor word but the only word that fits the circumstances, is ongoing and unstoppable. And I'm always up front about that, because I want them to know that things are changing, and that there is nothing that they can do about it.
"They". Another unfortunate term. I'm certainly not talking about the government. We ARE the government in this country, because we choose who represents us. "They", in the context of this post, are the people who want to take away our voice and vote from the decision making process of governance and oversight in this country and around the world.
Viva!
Chad
If Democrats have a pre-911 view of things, Republicans have a pre-July 4th view of things.
I agree with you. My mom has been in the military for 22 years now (I'm almost 20). I have suffered greatly because of it. I have no desire to go into the military because I would resent the lifestyle it would bring me. That's generally not a good attitude to have when you're forced to follow orders.
I fully support the troops, and will continue to til my dying day. But I can't be in the military.
~C
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No. Actually I mentioned nothing about protesting or supporting the troops. My argument is that if you claim you support the war and you are an able-bodied adult, you should be willing to fight in it. If you aren't willing to make that sacrifice, then spare me all your patriotic rhetoric.
If I was a soldier, I'd be insulted that these College Republicans, for example, consider themselves some kind of heroes for sitting around and emphasizing how important it is that "we" stay in Iraq and fight the terrorists, but when the bullets start flying, they're certainly not going to be on the front line. I find it insulting that these Chickenhawks find the lives of the soldiers actually fighting in the war more expendable than theirs.
The false generalization you make in this blog is that "We all" (those of the so called Chicken Hawk Generation) are all in favor of the war and will not serve in the military. Military service is a showing of great sacrifice and dedication to our country but it isnt the only service. Just because one 18 year old chooses military service and another 18 year old chooses to go to UCLA doesnt mean one is not serving their country. What we all too often forget is that in order to have wars we need to have commerce and business. This is synonymous with the American dream. While some go off to war, some will always have to be at home to maintain the posts of business in our economy and the way to do that for some will be to go to college and become educated so that they can become successful businessmen so their is something in America still worth defending and enough fiscal solubility to finance a war in the first place.
Also you claim that College Republicans are the best and brightest. This is yet another generalization which limits the effectiveness and accuracy of your blog. What you dont seem to understand is that if all the able-bodied intelligent young people left and went to war the effect would be catastrophic not only for the relatively short time of service but the many casualties that result will represent a a lasting drain on the country and a loss of production and people able to do high level jobs which will hurt the United States.
It is true wars are complicated and multifaceted but their is such a thing as oversimplification and over-generalization which obscure the truth of the real situation and the fact that there are a lot of people who do NOT support the war and did NOT support the war from the beginning more than 4 years ago. Overlooking this fact is simply inexcusable when discussing the recruitment and enlistment into the armed services.
"Its all very well in practice but it will never work in theory."
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/daimler
1) My opening statement is saying that because of the Chickenhawkers in our generation, the rest of us will be regarded as cowards. I did not mean to say that all of us are Chickenhawkers so if that is how it came across, I apologize for the phrasing.
2)The 'best and brightest' College Republican quip was complete sarcasm.
3)The blog is not calling for a mass enlistment of all able-bodied young adults. I am, however, arguing for people to back up their words with action. If you say you support the war, then go fight in it. If you are not willing to risk your life for this cause, then stop arguing to risk the lives of other young men and women in the military.
Your two comments are better phrased than your actual post, but I still feel that you unfairly accuse able-bodied people of looking down their noses at soldiers. Like I said earlier, the army is not for everyone. It just seems...well, wrong to insist that someone is a coward for not risking their lives on a daily basis. I do agree that many people do not back up their own claims, but really, it's the fucking military. They value their own life in a way completely different than those who are part of our military force. To say that these civilians are cowards and insulting enlisted men and women is way too extreme.
Whisper on a scream doesn't change a thing. - Kenny Wayne Sheppard Band
Once again, I'm not criticising all able-bodied adults who are not in the military. I am criticising able-bodied adults who claim they support the war but are not willing to back up their rhetoric with action and actually enlist. There's an enormous difference and I made that distinction in the opening paragraph: "their endless support of the Iraq War yet tireless refusal to fight in it." Those are the people I call Chickenhawks and the people I consider cowards.
Just thought I'd post a link to a video parody of the 'old yellow ribon' song. It's relevant to what you're discussing in this post. Reckon it could be of some interest to you. I love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmsOIjzQ1V8
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I am the people my mother warned me about.