Those leading Iraq war should send in their kin

Editor,

I am so tired of the blatant hypocrisy Americans live with every day. Why is it that all the anti-war demonstrations around the country are now being confronted by counter-protesters supporting the war, shouting slogans like, "Traitors," "You dishonor our dead," or "Support our troops and President Bush."

You'd think that if our leaders were so concerned about the endless war on terrorism, they'd be more than willing to send their own children to fight for such a noble cause. Guess how many of the more than 500 legislators have kids currently serving in the military: less than a dozen. How many of Bush's neoconservative buddies do you think served even one day in the military? None. In fact, they did everything they could to avoid serving the country they claim to love so much. Cheney got five deferments to avoid going to Vietnam. That takes balls - huge, cowardly balls.

How is sending more people off to die for nothing with no plan for victory supporting our troops? Is cutting combat pay supporting our troops, too? How about the horrible treatment at the VA hospital - is that supporting them? Sending our troops to Iraq without proper gear or training - is that also supporting the troops? It seems to me that the best way we can support our troops is to bring them home alive.

Does anyone find it odd that these loathsome cowards and hypocrites are so gung ho about sending the nation's youth to go die when they are unwilling to make that sacrifice themselves? It's certainly no skin off their backs. If more than a tiny percentage of U.S. politicians had children serving in the military, it'd be a different story. At least Britain's Prince Harry joined the military. Shouldn't at least one of the Bush daughters have to go?

Unfortunately, the truth is that our leaders have nothing but contempt for the common man. They consider the young men and women of the middle class - and especially the lower class - to be expendable cannon fodder. And behind closed doors, they talk about it in exactly those terms. If the American people would wake up to reality, it would be a different world. Instead, we get worthless scumbags who think that everyone except themselves and their families should go fight for the sake of their stock portfolios. Are pro-war demonstrators so dense they are unable to recognize hypocrisy when it slaps them in the face? Clearly, they are.

Seriously, anybody who still supports this war is either evil or incredibly stupid. There are no other options. It's really starting to make me angry.

Jason Darensburg

UNM student and staff