Liberals to McCrystal - "Shut Up and Salute"

Today in the Washington Post there was a horrific oped piece by Eugene Robinson about the ongoing public discussion between the "Commander and Chief" and his leading general in Afghanistan regarding the strategy the United States should employ in our 8 year war in that country. Mr. Robinson, and liberals in general, believe that General McChrystal should, and I quote, "shut up and salute." I wonder if that is the left's official stance on the military in general?

It is difficult to stomache the outrage over General McChrstyal simply answering a question regarding his opinion as to our strategy in the war. Personally, I thought his response to the question was brilliant and it finally gave me hope that we actually had some modicum of a chance to pull a victory out of this ongoing disaster, no small feat considering our commander in chief himself says that he is "uncomfortable with victory in Afghanistan".

During his stumping on his way to the White House then candidate Obama said, on many occassions, that America needed to refocus on the war in Afghanistan and that when he was elected President, he would do exactly that. For those of you who don't remember Candidate Obama's campaign positions on Afghanistan, here is one of *Many* examples that can be found. I couldn't have agreed with Candidate Obama more. Too bad that as President, he seems to lack the intestinal fortitude to do what is necessary - in his own words - in the face of an increasingly unpopular war.

A President, especially one as inexperienced as this one in military affairs, must place their trust in their generals to tell them what the real situation facing the troops on the ground is and allow these generals to assist them in formulating the policies that will best serve both our countries foreign policiy needs while at the same preserving our most precious treasure - the lifeblood of our heroes. General McChrystal, knowing the backlash that he would and has faced, did exactly that. He should be commended for his bravery, his love of country and his devotion to the men he serves with. Instead, he is told by the liberals in this country to "shut up and salute". Can 2012 possibly come soon enough? Not in this blogger's opinion; however, it may come to late for the brave men and women currently serving in harms way in Afghanistan.

The AP's Way of Honoring the Fallen

I am a military wife and a military daughter. My blood runs red, white and blue and it always has. I love our military and I believe that every man and woman in our armed forces is a hero. To say that I have a hard time dealing with the treatment our military is given by the media is quite possibly the understatement of the century.

The latest outrage? This story from the Associate Press complete with picture showing the last moments of a Marines life. As if that weren't odious enough, all of this was without the consent of the family and in fact, was contrary to their wishes.

The freedom of information act allows both the media and individuals to get the names of the fallen. For years, this has been a cause that is dear to my heart. My friend, Judy Vincent, bas been fighting for years to change the law and make it so that familial consent is required before the names or the likenesses of the fallen can be used. In her case, a "man", and I use the term here lightly, in Phoenix, AZ. was using the names of the fallen on a t-shirt that he sold for his own personal gain. His pockets were swollen as a result of this young marines sacrfice. Something here definitely isn't right.

I understand that the situation is somewhat different here, but certainly the AP is selling stories, papers and page views with this controversy. So while their intention of raising awareness of the price paid by those in the military due to an ongoing and ever unpopular war may have been honorable, their lack of respect shown to the surviving members of this marines family was anything but.

AP, you should be ashamed!