Your link seem to prove that there was much spurious commentary around Kerry’s anti-war protests and not much else. I am sure political motivation had as much to do with the hoopla as anything he actually said.
Everybody agrees that war is painful(or should). However, I can’t see the appropriateness of gagging or intimidating free speech, including from possible future presidential candidates, related to war protests. I especially don’t see that fact that people serve a number of years in the military and sometimes kill(including babies) and die as a reason to subjugate free speech. War protesters are actually trying to stop people like your friends and family from dieing not insult them for their service. Yeah, maybe it gets done imperfectly sometimes, just like using napalm.
I see it as a very dangerous precedent for all the people addicted to militarism, and there are many, to blackmail potential leadership against protesting war. I think this aspect of the energy directed at Kerry should cause a concern equally grave as to that over the alleged substance of his protests. Militarism addicts really dishearten and anger me too.
Yes babies are killed in war ,they are maimed in war, they are born with birth defects because of war and the are orphaned because of war. Yeah it pisses me off that the militaristic don;t want to hear about it. War causes as we have seen, immense disruptions to economies and countless quality of life issues. War should never be taken lightly. People should voice their concerns loudly and free of harassment, like being called effete French socialists, Anti-troops, Anti-American and the like.
That is the big picture. Looking at the small picture which is the sincerity and integrity of the individual soldier is a different topic and not for outsiders to judge. Trying to assess the big picture from individual subjectivity muddles the debate. The debate is already too convoluted by those who have financial and political interests in militarism(see Iraq). Lets don’t muddle it further because people have already killed and died.
