Patriotism Abounds

[ngb1959]

I copied this from a gambling forum...I know we have armed forces supporters here. Thought you would find it interesting.

In the Fight
Applause in the Airport? Beyond the Beer Commercial ...
It Happens ... It Really Happens
By Matt Friedeman, PhD
February 10, 2005

(AgapePress) - Rick from Winona, Mississippi, called my state-wide talk radio program this week. Sometimes, you get a phone call that ought to be read in the broader market.

On the program that day we were discussing the report that some Europeans were disgusted with the Super Bowl commercial of American soldiers getting applause in an airport. The critics thought it too extreme in its patriotism and a possible incitement to further war.

At any rate, Rick (he asked us not to use his full name) called to talk about his experience coming back recently from the fields of war. His words (and they are worth your time reading, only lightly edited):

"I heard you talking about the Super Bowl commercial. I'm a Marine, a re-con Marine. I just got back from overseas, the second week of December, actually. I was injured overseas, so that's why I'm home now.

"But the whole time I was [there, in recovery] we watched the news to see what's going on. And we saw the protests, and we saw what the media was saying about what's going on, and we were worried about what we were actually going to face when we came home. We didn't know what to expect, to be honest with you. From the news media we were seeing, the whole country was basically telling us we're a bunch of jerks.

"I thank God that the troops that are there don't see the news coverage. I thank God every day, because there'd be ten times the number getting killed, just because it would so un-motivate [sic] them.

"Back to the story: there were seven other soldiers that came home with me that day. We flew into JFK, and we were talking on the way back: What's going to happen? What will we be facing? Is it going to be like the Vietnam era, are there going to be people spitting at us?

"We didn't know. We had that much trepidation about it.

"We get into JFK, we step out of the breezeway into the main terminal, and directly in front of us was an elderly gentleman carrying a bag. And he immediately stopped, set his bag down, and the first thing we all thought was, 'Oh, Lord, here we go already.' He just stopped and looked at us for a second, and then tears came to his eyes and he saluted us.

"And -- I'm breaking up now [editor's note: with tears] -- every one of us just started crying like babies. Everybody in the terminal -- I kid you not, at least two to three hundred people -- just started clapping, spontaneously. To me, it was so much worth what we were doing, to realize that people over here actually get what we were doing. We weren't over there because it's fun. We're over there doing a job.

"When I saw the Super Bowl commercial, I just started bawling like a baby again because that was something totally unexpected. We had no idea that people actually appreciated what we're doing, from what we see on the news. We thought we were going to come back and get eggs thrown at us. It was so refreshing to know that what we were seeing on the news is just a bunch of garbage that's being concocted by the media, that 99.9 percent of the country doesn't believe that way.

"I have a couple of more months of recovery. I got hit with a concussion and have some internal damage, but I'm feeling up, doing well, and hopefully I can get back over there with my boys."

It caused some tears in this talk show host's eyes to know there were tears in his. Appreciation, smiles, handclaps -- they can go a long way when a nation is at war, regardless of what the media and some Europeans might think.


Matt Friedeman (mfriedeman@wbs.edu) is a professor at Wesley Biblical Seminary. Respond to this column at his blog at "In the Fight."

[docholly]

But the whole time I was [there, in recovery] we watched the news to see what's going on. And we saw the protests, and we saw what the media was saying about what's going on, and we were worried about what we were actually going to face when we came home. We didn't know what to expect, to be honest with you. From the news media we were seeing, the whole country was basically telling us we're a bunch of jerks.

1st of all I'd like to know where these protests are because i've been looking for them and cannot for the life of me seem to find them. On my personal blog i just wrote a whole article on "Where is the passion" are we too tired to protest anymore because IF ever, in my opinion, we needed to take to the streets, it would be over this war.

2nd of all, the media if anything, has taken a right turn and NO WHERE have i ever heard (and trust me when i tell you i watch all stations including the Total Spin Zone *gotta know what BS that asshole is spewing*) anyone talking down about the soldiers.. calling them jerks etc. If anything we are MORE supportive of the troops certainly than the policy.

***During Vietnam we had our priorities skewed, imo, the Policy was wrong the troops were right.

I think this time around, despite an all out effort by this administration to "spin" it his way, we, as a people finally got it right. Should we be there, HELL NO (imo) but do we support the troops that are forced to go, HELL Yes!!

Imagine Joe Schmuck 10 yrs ago, just out of college, baby on the way, signs on to be in the Nevada Guard NOT National Guard, but our local state guard, those dayam rowdy Seniors at Bingo night!! Once a month, he does his duty, trains at Nellis 2 weeks out of the year. I mean its Preventative, in case we need it, not an on going need. Suddenly 2 weeks before Thanksgiving 2004 he's told, you are shipping out to Iraq. Iraq? Is that upstate? I'm in the Nevada Guard.

Only because i'm in Nevada am i using that as an example but i'm sure the rest of the states are experiencing it as well. Not only are they doing a back door draft by sending these Weekend Warriors of the National Guard, but pulling troops from the states as well. How very protective of "Merican soil, George.

So, while that is an "interesting" article, I doubt the "caller" has seen any action other than Jackson on a Saturday night.. and the source of the article Matt Friedeman (mfriedeman@wbs.edu) is a professor at Wesley Biblical Seminary. to me anyway is just more propaganda promoted by the zealotious right wingers trying to convince us if we say it it must be true. After all didn't they say there were WMDs?

[Linkster]

docholly- I dont disagree with a lot of what you say - but remember that the troops overseas see very little of what we see on the news - most of what they see has been censored and is feeds from AF TV and Radio - and yes the military has always used propaganda on their own soldiers (I experienced it first hand) to drive morale in certain ways. That they are hearing and seeing protests is not unusual - there are protests in this country a lot - if you go to DC you can see them almost every day.

It's really a different world in their eyes and for a young kid, it can drive you batty not knowing what you are coming home to

You also have to understand that they dont get Fox news or the other networks unless approved for specific events like the superbowl or certain races etc.

[Linkster]

BTW - your take on Matt Friedeman is way to liberal He is an extreme rightwinger that wrote a column for the Jackson, MS paper for years - and has written a book on taking the country back using the force of the GOP - so he does have a tainted view of things

[Useless]

I'm not a patriot, but I support the troops. I just don't support what they are doing. That's what the right-leaning media doesn't get. I don't have to do both.




Though I doubt it will happen here, but in case it does, if anyone takes offense to me saying "I'm not at patriot" - I'm a veteran, fuck off.

[docholly]

Linkster..I know there are small minute pockets of protesters..like under 100 and sometimes under 10..and i understand about the filtering.. and actually i know they see very little.. my husband, ok recently ex-husband, is an officer in the USN. So I know what he used to tell me he'd see and i'm sure since we got divorced it hasn't changed in 8 months.

But the "caller" on this show said..

we watched the news to see what's going on. And we saw the protests, and we saw what the media was saying about what's going on

i watch NBC/CBS/ABC/FOX every day.. all day.. (the old lady that lives here with us is a Fox freak) and other than about 30 seconds at the conventions, there has been no protest coverage at all.

military tv is very filtered. Greg (the ex) told me the coverage of the election was so minimal, most of his co-workers didn't even know who was running against GWB.

One of my cam girl's husband is a civilian in baghdad, who i talk to all the time on yahoo.. he said..they get zero news from home.. whatever they get they get off the net.

So i'm wondering how this caller can make such statements. I know that in the 60's and 70's every night Walter on CBS, Chet and David on NBC (and i forget on ABC) told us how many died, then show'd war protesters in SFO, NYC, Chicago, LA, ATL, DC etc.. it wasn't just a before the election then go hide somewhere, it was every day. and this is not an endorsement to go blow up Columbia U.

I think that this Friedeman guy made all this up. and Yes, i've emailed him because this is just the same old bull crap that gets those redstaters clapping.. "SEE i told you GWB was right". So IF "Rick from Winona MS" saw any action, he must have been logged into Camdollies.. cuz i'm sure he never saw the back side of a jarhead in Iraq.

...and i was being "nice" when i described Friedeman. lmao.

UW.. only under GWB is it considered un patriotic to question authority.

and since you put it that way.. i TOO must not be a patriot.

|cool|

[ecchi]

I think the anti war protesters have grown up a bit in the last 30 years. When I was a kid they were against the people who actually did the fighting, and returning heroes got spat on. Today most of them protest against the war and the government, not the heroes. And although they don't actually join in the applause, they don't condemn the returning warriors either, just the people who sent them there in the first place.

[docholly]

Ok I stand corrected.. dayam wished i'd known i'd of headed East..

Protesters gather in STL

[Linkster]

http://newstandardnews.net/content/?...tem&itemid=925

http://www.sfbayview.com/012605/noto...nt012605.shtml

http://www.freepress.org/departments...y/20/2005/1118