This is the new mantra for many Americans. You can oppose the war, they say, but you'd damn sure better "support the troops!" Militarism has been placed on a pedestal, and our society has begun to "support the troops" so fervently as to believe they can do no wrong. This concerns me very deeply because it is simplistic and it distracts people from addressing real issues.

Here are a few things related to that subject that I've been needing to get off my chest lately:

Freedom isn't free

This expression is popping up absolutely everywhere: on bumper stickers, in newspaper articles, as a brilliant song from the movie Team America: World Police, and on the lips of simpletons who use it to justify anything the government wants to do. But what does it really mean?

"Freedom isn't free" suggests that American freedom is in danger, and that it can be preserved only through occasional sacrifice (e.g. lives lost). Most people who embrace this slogan undoubtedly feel that our freedom is threatened by malevolent forces external to our country. This external threat has usually been an abstract concept, and has morphed through the years from fascism to communism to terrorism.

I have always viewed "freedom isn't free" as a dumbed-down version of Thomas Jefferson's pronouncement that "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Indeed, many people consider these two statements interchangeable.

But I think the Jefferson quote must be viewed in the context of this passage from the Declaration of Independence: "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

Thus, the tyrants to whom Jefferson refers are not external. They are internal.

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read it in English, thank a soldier.

You've probably seen this message on bumper stickers or as an e-mail signature line. But it just doesn't make sense to me. If you can read this, thank a teacher. Yes, by all means. Most people learned to read in school; therefore, teachers deserve the credit there. But thanking a soldier because it's written in English? I guess the implication is that soldiers, by defending our country, have repelled (or perhaps deterred) invaders who would subjugate us and force us to speak their language. But the last country that actually tried to conquer us was Great Britain, and they speak English too!

If we had lost World War II, would we today speak a creole of German and Japanese? Not very likely. I see no evidence that either country would have occupied the US to the extent that English would have been outlawed. And had we gone to war with the Soviet Union and lost, it is unlikely that the entire country would have been required to learn Russian. Take as proof all the countries of Eastern Europe that continued to speak their indigenous languages even after they were absorbed into the Soviet Bloc. Even today's Islamic extremists don't really want to occupy America and force us to speak Arabic—they just want us to get out of the Middle East and to discontinue our unconditional support of Israel.

So the connection between soldiers and the English language just isn't there.

As such, I'd like to suggest the following alternatives:

If you can read this, thank a teacher. (Succinct and accurate)

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read it in English, thank the Founding Fathers for deciding that English—not German—would be our national language. (Actually an urban legend, but what the heck.)

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read it in English, thank the fact that you're an American, because heaven forbid you should actually study a foreign language.

It is the solder

This inane "poem" by Father Dennis Edward O'Brian (USMC) has received a lot of circulation in recent years:

It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the organizer, Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.

Father O'Brian's little litany certainly is consistent—consistently wrong on every possible count. None of these things fall into the soldier's sphere of influence. Let's take a look at the soldier's oath of enlistment, shall we?

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

In this oath, the soldier pledges to do seven things:

It is appropriate that the soldier's oath first and foremost requires him to support and defend the Constitution, since the source of the rights listed in the poem are all specifically laid out in the First Amendment to the Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

In other words...

It is the Constitution, not the soldier, that has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Constitution, not the soldier, that has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Constitution, not the soldier, that has given us the freedom to demonstrate and even to burn the flag.

As for the flag, the soldier certainly does salute it, and proudly so. But, as the oath clearly states, his true faith and allegiance belong only to the Constitution.

Yellow ribbon magnets

I wish I had been the guy who thought of these magnetic stickers that all the right-wing types are putting on their SUVs. What a genius!

But how do they "support the troops" exactly? Does any of the money from their sale go to any military support organization? Not as far as I know.

I'm a big fan of capitalism, so I certainly don't begrudge anyone making a buck off the herd mentality of the American people. But I'm certainly not going to contribute my own money toward this type of meaningless display.

Blue & Gold Service Star banners

Speaking of meaningless displays of "patriotism," service star banners have made a big comeback. These had all but disappeared after World War II, but someone has realized that money could be made. It's all about the shopping!

These banners indicate with blue stars the number of active-duty service members in the immediate family. When a family member is killed, a smaller gold star—available for a nominal fee—is placed in the center of the blue star. It's a fun way to keep score.

Why do you hate America so much?

That's it, isn't it? The one-size-fits-all explanation for anyone who has anything negative to say. I'm sorry to disappoint, but I don't hate America. In fact, I love my country very much, even if I find all too many of my fellow countrymen to be beyond hope.

How does my love of country manifest itself? The same way as my love for my family and friends. If I see a friend doing something that could hurt him, I don't cheer him on and tell him he's doing the right thing. Admittedly, that would be the easiest thing to do. The harder—and more responsible—approach is to warn my friend of the dangers of his actions. It might piss him off, but I have to be willing to take that chance.

The danger of all these displays of false patriotism is that they emphasize superficial cheerleading over any attempt to find solutions to our nation's problems. Those who point out flaws in our way of life do so because they want to see our country live up to the promise of democracy laid out in our Constitution. To allow any less is contrary to what America truly stands for.