Monday, November 12, 2007

Is it wrong to set aside a day to honor our Veterans?

VA has a nice post up today concerning Veteran's Day and why some folks are virulently against our heaping adoration on our military veterans. Being a veteran myself, and coming from a long line of patriotic veterans, I'm naturally biased in favor of honoring our military veterans, particularly those who've served in foreign theatres. That said, I didn't find it necessary to mention Veteran's Day here at Webster's for a couple of reasons which I'll keep to myself for the time being.

However, in the comments to VA's post, someone calling himself Mark offers a defense of his unfavorable position on our honoring military veterans with a day set aside to that purpose.

Mark writes:

So, were the founding fathers against standing armies or not? Why? I'll give you one reason. Because saying something bad about serving in the military has become the equivalent of Holocaust denial. It's part of our national religion, and it disgusts me beyond belief because it sends people off to die for the wrong reason.

Okay, so I'm led to believe that in the first sentence Mark is asking a specific question which he intends to answer for us know nothing, blind followers of the blind. Then he answers his own question, which he himself framed for our edification, presumably, with some tripe about saying something bad about military service being the equivalent of holocaust denial. Then he goes off on a tirade about how much this disgusts him, beyond belief even (nice reinforcement there), since it sends people off to die for all the wrong reasons.

Is it fair for me to say that I think Mark is just a little scatter-brained, at least in this instance; that his passion in this case has impeded his ability to think and speak clearly on this particular topic? Or am I just way out of line here?

Also, note Mark's wretched performance equating the dangers inherent in the honorable profession of cab driving with those inherent to military service in his preface to his scatter-brained comments. Military service is honorable, according to Mark, in the same way that being a cabbie is honorable. I wonder what the opinion of most cab drivers who also happen to be former military service members (that is, people who've experienced the dangers of both professions) would be on Mark's point here?

So, Mark, were the founders against standing armies or not? And why? Call me crazy, but your answer to the question seems to me to be, ummm ... less than adequate? And that's being generous.

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