Republicans Love War but Care Little for the Troops

"Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists", President Bush declared in his infamous 9/11 speech on September 20, 2001. The inane simplicity and rigidity of this statement sums up a pervasive and divisive attitude of the America right since 9/11. Anyone who has dared to simply question the policies of the Bush administration, as they invade this country and that, and continue in their false "war on terror", is accused of giving "aid and comfort" to the enemy, labeled as appeasers, traitors and enemies of freedom. It is an uncomplicated, black and white worldview that has pretty much divided the country into two camps.

The right has established this black in white paradigm for a number of other important and complex issues. The death penalty must exist, regardless of the many problems with it, and if one is against it they are "soft on crime". Abortion is bad under all circumstances, and if we support the right of women to make choices about their own bodies we are in favor of murdering babies in the womb. Three strikes and your out laws, and mandatory minimum drug sentencing are just, and if we dare to suggest differently we are again "soft on crime". Anyone who supports universal health coverage is a communist. Finally, there is the rights favorites - either you fully support whichever war we happen to be fighting at the time (preferably Republican wars), or you hate the troops and America itself.

Yes sir, the right loves turning issues black and white, and driving wedges to divide Americans into god fearin' patriots and America hating liberals. Another thing they love is sending troops to war, and they love spending incredible bundles of cash on bombs, missiles, tanks, assault vehicles, submarines, jets and various other tools of death. In their collective mind, there should be little debate over the need and necessity of spending billions on tools of death. However, when the troops return from the various wars that the right trumpets as necessary and urgent, they just can't be bothered with taking care of them. Providing for the well being of troops on and off the field is one issue that is not black and white to those patriots on the right. Instead, they are quick to make excuses and rationalize on why the nation can't afford to provide healthcare, education and general well being for the people they carelessly send into harms way.

Such is the case with the new GI Bill legislation working its way through Congress. McCain and Bush oppose Democratic Senator Jim Webb's bill which would provide tuition for four years at a public college to anyone who serves 3 years on active duty, as well as help with other costs such as books and housing. The total cost of the program would be 52 billion over a ten year span, and is supported in full by probable Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama. However, the Bush administration says the program would be too expensive. John McCain, Republican presidential nominee and top cheerleader for the Iraq disaster, bases his objection to the proposed expansion of the GI Bill on his belief that it should be based upon a sliding scale, in which benefits would increase with years of service and re-enlistments. McCain believes that without basing the GI Bill benefit on a sliding scale, the incentive for troops to re-enlist will diminish and there will be retention problems.

Too expensive? Sliding scales? What happened to all the black and white reasoning we've grown so used to getting from Republicans? Saying that the GI Bill expansion is too expensive is an amazing objection coming from a party that has raised no objection whatsoever to the over $500 billion that has been spent on the Iraq war since it began in 2003. But now - according to John McCain, the Bush administration, the vast majority of Republicans in the House, and nearly half of Senate Republicans - spending hundreds of billions of dollars on waging war is all well and good, but spending just 52 billion dollars on providing troops with funds to pay for college is wasteful and too expensive. These are the same Republicans who hardly ever hesitate to unload billions of dollars to war-profiteering corporations to build weapons and provide often sub-par services. Is this the party that supposedly loves the troops and so often accuses Democrats of attempting to leave troops out to dry? If this latest betrayal doesn't open people's eyes, it is hard to imagine what will.

As for McCain and his Republican colleagues belief that GI Bill benefits should be on a sliding scale - how long exactly does an American troop have to put their life on the line before John McCain & Co deem them worthy of benefits? Seems that someone on their first enlistment could catch a bullet in Iraq or Afghanistan just as easily as someone who is on their second or third. Furthermore, it is disgusting to think that the US government should ask men and women to devote years of their life to serving their country - often requiring them to risk their lives - but then force those very same people into a corner by limiting their opportunities outside the military. Is this the kind of country we've become? We expect this of the hundreds of Republican chickenhawks in Congress, but isn't John McCain supposed to be the straight talkin', veteran lovin', former prisoner of war?

Indeed, things are not so black and white for Republicans when it comes to taking care of American citizens, including those who volunteer to possibly get their asses shot off. For John McCain and his Republican buddies, taking care of veterans and providing them with higher education should be subject to long debates and contemplation about what is too expensive and what is not, and bureaucratic oversight to determine who has served long enough to receive benefits. If only they would exercise the same caution and care when deciding whether they should support sending troops to fight this governments bullshit wars.

I propose that Republicans move to officially change their name to the Death Party when they gather for their convention this summer.