Not All Troops are Republicans

I wonder what Karl Rove thinks of this "left wing" solider?

I think the writer of “Rein in ‘Doonesbury’ this time” (letter, June 2) may be more right-wing than he admits.

I have read and reread the entire “Doonesbury” story regarding Alex thinking of joining the Army, and I fail to see how the writer finds it painting all Army recruiters as liars and all Army men as rapists.

The story actually dealt with recruiters struggling to sign up new recruits, even going to the extreme of painting the family’s garage. The story also dealt with sexual assault within the Army, a very real subject in today’s military and the reason the character Alex decided not to join.

It did not, however, paint the military as liars and rapists, as the letter writer thinks. He tries to say he is not a member of the far right, however one would have to be one in order to find such nonsense in the comic strip, especially [a strip] that has time and time again shown only support for the troops.

I suspect the letter writer is just looking for ways to hate anything that exposes any negativity about the military. Perhaps Stars and Stripes should not print any more articles that show how recruiters are struggling to fill their quota, or that sexual assault is a reality in combat zones.

I also suspect he is more right wing than he thinks by his statement that the left opposes the war but says it supports the troops is a “flagrant lie.” Tell that to me and several other “left-wing” soldiers in my platoon here in Iraq. Tell that to our families who send us care packages. Tell that to all us Democrats or even non-“right-wing” soldiers here in Iraq.

With all due respect, perhaps the writer should stick with something easier to interpret and simple-minded, like the juvenile name-calling in “Mallard Fillmore.” And in typical right-wing style, since he doesn’t agree with the story in “Doonesbury,” let’s simply ban it.

Spc. James Dylan
Camp Anaconda, Iraq

Yep. As the 101 Fighting Keyboardists garner more bedsores on their big, fat asses and as Rove --supported by the White House-- talks shit out of his, this "left wing" solider is serving in Iraq.

If you believe this letter represents an isolated incident of "left wingism" in the military, you'd be wrong. Go ahead and poke around the "letters" section of Stars and Stripes, where you'll find a virtual plethora of such sentiments.

Comments

[Houston]

Count me as one who saw it as a struggle of conscience and mission. She asked him an honest question and he answered it honestly. Unfortunately it was the wrong answer. There was no villain in this particular tale.