Posted by
Aaron on Thursday, August 16, 2007 1:20:00 PM
It is curious how one hears people on the left accusing people on the right of calling them unpatriotic. I follow American politics very closely, and to my recollection, have never heard a Republican call anyone unpatriotic. My believe is that accusations of this kind are mainly used as a defense strategy, but also act as a means to simplify and stifle political debate. For example, in 2003 or 2004, John Kerry accused U.S. troops of breaking into the homes of Iraqis and terrorizing innocent women and children. After his comment many Republicans came out and stated that Kerry's lie was very insulting to our troops. John Kerry's defense was 'they're calling me unpatriotic.' It is almost like the phrase 'they're calling me unpatriotic' has turned into a euphemism for 'I said something stupid and don't know how to backtrack.' So the next time you hear someone say 'I'm sick of people accusing me of being unpatriotic,' know that if it is coming from a politician, they most likely said something offensive about our troops. If you hear it from citizen, they're probably just gullible.