The Fallacy Of War Protests

Originally authored on May 24, 2003

Here in Minnesota we have been following a Gopher basketball team that has a coach that seems unable to win. It really is not the fault of the poor kids that he recruited. They simply are not the most talented. The continuously poor chemistry that is demonstrated by the Gophers basket ball team is the result of poor coaching and poor recruiting. Can we support and protest the team's performance?

Certainly voicing displeasure with the team's winning-challenged ways is acceptable. It is even necessary to let the University know that a change in coach is due. But there is a proper time and place for that vocalization. To violate that proper time and place directs the protest to the wrong people. Write editorials before the games or after the games. Call the radio shows or whine at the water cooler. All of these express displeasure with the coach. But to boo at the game DURING the game produces the effect that the poor kids who are doing the best that they can and doing what they are told are the targets of the booing.

The same held true during the Iraqi War. Peaceniks, protesters and counter-Americans all voiced their displeasure with the defense of this country DURING the war. To hide the fact that their actions were counter to the cause and protection of America they had the audacity to utter the fallacious phrase "Against the War, Support the troops." The problem with this little ditty is that to voice angst against the war during the war is the same as booing the coach during the basketball game: you are booing the kids doing their job.

The simple fact is that each and every person that protested during the war did more damage to the spirits and morale of the troops. Reporters have returned from Iraq stating that the troops were demoralized from hearing about the protests...many of the kids could not distinguish the difference from the protests being targeted at the policy from what seemed to be protests against the troops.

The simple fact is that each and every person that protested during the war was doing more harm to the defense of this country. They are Counter-Americans...and more likely than not they would prefer living in the broken down society known as France than continue to live in the wonderful nation known as the United States of America.

Let me be the first to bid them Adieu.