Thursday, February 17, 2005

What Does "Support Our Troops" Really Mean?

Bob Sommer, commentator for NPR's All Things Considered, recently opined on the yellow ribbon car decals and magnets saying "Support Our Troops". He says he's finally figured out what the message "Support Our Troops" really means:

That curious phrase, "support our troops," on those yellow ribbon magnets seems to accuse me of not doing my part. Then I realized that "support our troops" is a code! It requires parsing. Here's what I think it means: Those who presumably need to be admonished to support the troops are those who oppose the decisions of the administration. "Support our troops" means, then, that we should be supporting the war. I believe that most yellow-magnet bearers want support not just for the troops, but for the mission, the presence, the president. Maybe the magnets should say: "Shut up and support our troops."
Seems that Sommer takes an awful lot of offense at three simple words. I'm not sure how someone who appreciates the sacrifices our soldiers and sailors make could make hte comments he does. Maybe he doesn't actually support our troops at all. It's like my Dad said, "The bit dog always barks."