No Military Exemptions

The only thing I can add is that it is traitorous to your fellow soldiers to come back and bad mouth the mission that they are currently performing. Maybe he can be the next Senator from Massachusettes.

What a disappointment to see such a depressing and sad commentary on the war on terrorism. I thought the same thing (as you) but couldn't articulate it as clearly as your words do. Thank you for putting a voice to my feelings about the Kevin Tillman rant.

I read the Tillman piece today, too, and was pretty thoroughly disgusted. Pat must be turning over in his grave.

Also, as you know, I go ballistic every time someone raises the "chickenhawk" argument. We are in total accord on that.

Well said, my friend!

I have nothing to disagree with. Most players don't make good coaches.

Brian, I was thinking the same thing about Pat. I'm sure Kevin doesn't realize it, but he's not honoring his brother. Quite the opposite.

Actually, Pat would be applauding in his grave. You see, Pat Tillman, according to an ESPN Outside the Lines special and a lengthy article in SI, was saying the same things about Iraq before he was killed. He may not have come home and said it in a public forum, but he was already saying it to his fellow soldiers while still serving. So in my view, what Pat Tillman did, by actively demeaning the war in Iraq to soldiers that obviously looked to him as a leader is worse than what his brother is doing. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but even the dead get no exceptions here.

if it's true. Any idea what changed his mind?

You are absolutely correct. Such service may inform opinion, but it does not remove the responsibility to construct a coherant argument. Those who use the fact of service as a shortcut around a real argument, and who use the fact of service as a counter-argument able to rebut any criticism, are the basest of cowards.

To flee from argument is not moral courage.

Validity of an opinion is based upon one's ability to construct an argument, not on one's identity.

the same old tired line from the Dem/liberal playbook, can't criticize what someone said because of their suffering, assuming of course that what was said furthers the cause. Otherwise the crocodile tears are nowhere to be found.

I am constantly amazed, for example, how there are over 3,000 mothers who lost sons in Iraq and I have only ever heard of one of them.

I was surprised, too, by what you wrote about Tillman's disaffection. Unusual in a Ranger.

Obviously, I meant "gotta say", not that Dutch gibberish that showed up.

Sad about Tillman's disillusion. Its difficult to say if he was merely indulging the soldier's immemorial privilege to kvetch or if he really changed his mind. I don't trust reporters to really know where he was coming from. I think the agenda of the reporter is of actually deeper impsrt than quotes from Tillman. Same thing if Tillman's attitude was reported in SOF. Do you think they would form the same conclusion as SI? Not to knock either SI or SOF, both stick much more closely to reporting than most print media.
PS. I smile every time i read your motto.

Keep smiling, I ain't gonna change!

The info I got about Tillmn came from SI and they interviewed his fellow Rangers and that is the info they gave the reporters. Again, when the OTL feature ran, they interviewed his fellows and got the same info. It seems that he was of the mind that going to Aghanistan was okay, but that going after Saddam was somehow 'illegal'. For someone that was so lovingly described as a deep thinker by his friends and family, this seems to have been a rather simplistic and ill informd attitude to take. But you may be right, as his complaints started while he was serving a tour in Iraq; regardless of that, it is not IMO okay to spread this type of thinking among young, scared soldiers that look to you almost in awe. It seems to me that Tillman owed more to his brothers in arms than to undermine their faith in their mission. Doing so could only hurt morale, and as a Ranger he should have known better than that; if he had to complain it should not have been to the most impressionable men in his unit.

Good points about morale impact. The whole thing is just so sad, like much of this life. When i get bummed out, i count my many blessings, which i'm doing now.