WND – by Drew ZahnJust in time for Veteran’s Day on Tuesday, a leftist writer at Salon.com has penned a column saying it’s “childish” to honor America’s men and women in uniform as “heroes.”
In a column titled “You don’t protect my freedom: Our childish insistence on calling soldiers heroes deadens real democracy,” writer David Masciotra argues it’s been 70 years since American soldiers fought a war about freedom and “forced troop worship and compulsory patriotism must end.”
“Put a man in uniform, preferably a white man, give him a gun, and Americans will worship him,” Masciotra writes. “It is a particularly childish trait, of a childlike culture, that insists on anointing all active military members and police officers as ‘heroes.’”
Citing police brutality, sexual assault in the ranks and alleged murder of civilians by the U.S. military, the author claims calling today’s troops “heroes” “betrays a frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism.”
“Even saluting a Marine, while holding a coffee cup, is tantamount to terrorism,” Masciotra insists.
His reasoning continues:”The war in Iraq was clearly fought for the interests of empire, the profits of defense contractors, and the edification of neoconservative theorists. It had nothing to do with the safety or freedom of the American people. … Wars that are not heroic have no real heroes, except for the people who oppose those wars.”
Masciotra even goes so far as to suggest Americans “should do everything they can to discourage young, poor and working-class men and women from joining the military.”
And rather than give soldiers the blanket title of “hero,” Masciotra suggests America start using the term for teachers, hospice workers and social workers.
Several social media outlets, like Twitter, have erupted with criticism of Masciotra’s column.
Even television personality Montel Williams was incensed over Masciotra’s screed, launching a Twitter campaign demanding Salon.com apologize for the column.
Williams has blasted out several tweets, including the following:
- “This piece by @DavidMasciotra is as offensive to #Veterans as it is intellectually dishonest.”
- “Glad someone fought to defend ur right to prove ‘stupid is as stupid does’ from cheap seats.”
- “I’d encourage you all to let @salon and @davidmasciotra know just how offensive this piece of mindless stupidity is.”
- “@Salon owes #veterans an apology. This is as asinine as it is offensive, intellectually flawed.”
- “Is this really @Salon editorial position? An apology is owed.”
A quick survey of the @Salon and @davidmasciotra Twitter feeds finds several sources taking up Williams’ call, though @Salon has yet to issue any kind of response. The Twitter handle @davidmasciotra does not appear to be linked to Masciotra himself.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/11/military-scolded-you-dont-protect-my-freedom/#7gKYzXiYdAGOHriU.99
I respect MOST of the veterans I know. Most of them had no idea they were signing up to work as bag men for corporate oligarchs.
I do my best to discourage anyone from joining the military but a lot of young people have been put in a very difficult position of choosing between working at McDonalds or joining the armed forces.
I wish everyone was required to read “war is a racket” when in school…that would be a big help.
I also wish a well regulated militia would overthrow the criminals who have usurped the highest offices in this land.
I convinced my young neighbor to join the military. He went in the Navy and is now working electronic jet maintenance. A great job. Nothing in our sleepy town but driving a fork lift at Home Depot and putting clothes and toys on display at Walmart. In the Navy there’s no messing around. They push you through school and off to work you go. Working and getting a medium check and feeling good about yourself. He’s moved up in rank and is in his 6th year. If he retires with a pension I’m sure he will thank me for it. When he comes home on leave I tell him “stay in…re-up…there’s nothing here for you in this little town.”
Military personel do more than simply “hold a gun” and go to war. The schools you go to in the service are intense. Especially technical schools like electronics. I hate it when we go off to war for some banker or CEO of a weapons company making them rich. It makes a service man feel good when someone buys him a beer at the pub, or is called a hero. It’s not the PFC’s fault the way the world works. So some lady calls a Marine in uniform at the mall a hero. So what. Quit being so negative about it.
Encourage them to be a hit man then. At least you’ll be honest. It has money just the same and no false bravado and doesn’t use MY flag while ultimately destroying MY Republic and freedom to construct a zionist commie joo regime.
No disrespect to those who served with purity in their hearts for their flag and country. I thank you for it from the bottom of my heart.
But if you know who and what you’re going to be working for and it is treasonous you’ll get nothing but 23 cents of reward from any REAL American. All my vet friends are dead from being used as guinea pigs for chemical testing, killed themselves because they finally realized the truth or are an empty shell from the crap they’re hooked on now.
F YOU
As a Navy Veteran I will say I did not protect anyone’s freedom.
I did protect the flow of stolen and manipulated resources as well as I protected the Saudi “royalty” from their population rising up.
Dont thank me for my service. Thank me for deciding not to keep working there.
As a former Vietnam Marine Veteran – I agree – all we did and especially now, is to fight wars for the bankers, for the Israeli’s, for Judeo-Freemasonry, as Major General Chest Puller, two time Medal of Honor recipient said, “all wars are for profit” for the banksters who now run this country and are using our young men to further their pocket books.
Fight for what – a police state that is now assuming itself in America, for a Marixst, Atheist, Homosexual, and corrupt government. Yea right.
And I have four brother in laws and several friends, all former Marines who feel the same way.
Thank you Nottoobitter!
You are welcome Andy.
My Father in law who is 93, was shot down over Germany, was in a German concentration camp, and came out of it when Patton came through. In my book he is a hero. He doesn’t know what the war was really about, and I don’t intend to tell him now. When he leaves this old planet, he will be honored as a ww11 hero, and so it should be. God bless you dad for what you did, and how you did it. You are a first class warrior.
WND…enough said.
I dont get WND.
What is that?
I’m sorry. But when we call nonexistent victims heroes…or even real victims heroes…it is an insult to real heroes.
Just because someone “died” in a fake school shooting, doesn’t make them a hero at all.
If…and I mean if…innocents died, they were unfortunate victims.
We’re is the heroism in that! They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. There’s no heroism in that. Just tragedy.
They were Victims…not heroes.
Celebrate and avenge their victimhood.
To be a hero you must DO SOMETHING HEROIC.
Seriously. For cryin’ out loud!
I was involved in the Gulf War.
I got sent to Germany.
I helped treat 1 special forces actual hero for minor shrapnel wounds.
I was a lucky man. I went to “war” at the right time.
I saw Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Munich…in 1991…because there were no F**king traumatic casualties and we had nothing else to do.
I am not a hero.
My Dad, who’s 83 and failing, flew 101 missions over North Vietnam.
He dodged the SAMs and made it back home…all the while listening to friends being shot down on the radio.
That’s a F**king hero..
I apologize for ranting.
Risking your life for a rationally “good” cause, however it’s defined, is heroic.
Being at the wrong funeral or wedding when the drone munition hits is a tragedy…or at a fake school teaching nonexistent children to promote a political agenda when a cypher “shooter” appears out of the ether…is a real or “fake” tragedy.
Either way, it is not heroic. You didn’t, knowingly, put your life at risk…so no heroism.
Sorry. That’s the way it is…in my mind.