An Editorial
Support the troops! What a noble sounding statement, placed on bumper stickers, made into memes with waving flags, and posted on the walls of patriotic facebookers everywhere. People want everyone to know that they support the troops but is it for the soldiers or to make them feel good about themselves? On patriotic holidays their walls are cluttered with statements accusing the rest of us of not remembering the real reason for the holiday, how we should thank the soldiers for their sacrifices. So what that it? Hey man thanks for risking your life, it was an honorable thing to do. Here, take this thanks and a big boorah to you soldier. I’m sure that when they are in the middle of a firefight those thank you’s save their sanity. Do you truly want to show support for the troops? How about supporting them with something a bit more tangible than “Thanks for your service”. Help them acclimate back into society with more than a slap on the back and a thank you.

In my existential an humble opinion the most appropriate and effective way we can thank the troops is to SHOW them. Show the troops that we do not take for granted the freedoms and liberties they fought for. Let them come home to a sane world where the theory of democracy, the belief that everyone has equal rights, racially, culturally, religiously, and socially, is fully intact. A system in which everyone can be involved in the proposal and development of laws. You know, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Instead they come home to see our congress fighting each other over petty posturing, and debates devolve into character assassinations, and the preponderance of their work pointing fingers at the other side in media photo ops. We need to work together to pass sensible legislation designed to keep us free and safe. I was truly hopeful at one point that we would pass sensible gun laws. Can you honesty tell me you believe our troops put their lives on the line and withstood the horrors of war so any half witted ass clown can own an automatic rifle with enough rounds of ammunition to decimate a towns population? We have stricter laws for our automobiles than we do for guns. And please stop with that ridiculous guns don’t kill people, people kill people crap defense because I could say the same for hand grenades or bazookas. Should every American have the right to own a hand grenade an use it if they feel threatened? I’m not saying no one should own a gun, but is it too much to ask that the owner act responsible? Show the troops that the country they are fighting for cares about its own people, and will not tolerate the streets being filled with maniacal twisted sociopaths who watch and plan as other killers, citizens, gain notoriety in the media. Yes if they are going to kill they will find a way shouldn’t we make it harder for them to arm themselves rather than easier? And what if legislation only saved a handful of lives? Believe this, if one of the lives save was your own child it would be a hugely significant handful an you would be thankful for sensible gun control. Truthfully I worry this may never happen, if the cold blooded murder of elementary school children hasn’t effected the laws to protect then there is little hope that the big businesses that influence and own congress will ever place human life above profit. But lets not stop trying, our children deserve more than we have been able to provide them. Just asking for sensible legislation, not abolition.

How about supporting the troops by cleaning up our own messes at home. They return from a foreign country helping to rebuild that country and come home to bureaucracies preventing basic affordable healthcare, streets littered with garbage, people killing each other in the street and in the schools, crime everywhere, people beating each other up over lifestyle choice, or religion. In other countries the troops witness home being destroyed, families torn apart, villages bombed, or gassed, then come home to a bunch of haters hiding behind the American flag proclaiming how patriotic they are while they deny basic human rights to people they feel don’t fit into their concept of what American means. Quit hiding your hatred behind a flag or a god. Its not being “American” to pass laws allowing you to shoot others if you feel threatened. Its not patriotic to deny that the world climate is changing and continue to support businesses that are destroying our environment. Its not pleasing god to hate gays or lesbians, maybe give them a beating in the name of Jesus. Its not dissing god to believe the proofs that science place in front of us. You want to believe in god you still can, but don’t exploit your ignorance genes by denying the truth, incorporate it. What the Hell, maybe god created evolution, maybe his days lasted a million years. Incorporate the truths into your religion and move on, don’t use it as an excuse to judge others, to prosecute others, celebrate your religion as all inclusive and love filled, not hate filled your gonna burn in hell for all time if you don’t believe in my faith!

If all you want is for all your friends and family to know how much you support the troops and love your country superficially then go ahead, post it all over your wall, put it on a bumper sticker to proudly display on your car. Honk if you support the troops. Hell man, get a damn American flag tattoo on your forehead if you want, but as far as I can tell the very best way to support our troops is to welcome them home, listen to their stories, assure them prompt medical attention, work to pass sensible laws that reflect what sacrifices they have endured, and work and strive hard every day for peace so that we can tell the troops no more of our American kids will be forced to endure the horrors of war like they did. Again, just The Existential Bakers opinion. PEACE