Just yesterday I wrote about the political attack ad put out by moveon.org. You know the one, ‘Not Alex’. The ad is blatant scare tactics and implies that there is something intrinsically wrong with our military. Worse, it implies there is something wrong with someone serving the country.
The video is nothing but fear mongering. It implies there is a draft. It implies that John McCain will swoop into your homes and take babes from mothers’ arms and send them off to foreign lands to make them do bad things. It also implies that little Alex is more special than the sons of mothers who have to sit at home while their sons fight for our country.
It undermines the military and its disrespectful to those who serve. It is a slap in the face to all mothers who spend months and years having to consciously live their lives with a constant aching in their hearts and terror in their souls while their sons are deployed.
Little Alex is no more special than my son, or any of the other sons and daughters who were raised to feel a sense of duty to country.
Predictably, bloggers are having a great time responding to this lunacy. Don Surber wonders how Alex feels about all this. Fausta reflects on the emotional appeal of the ad. Jim Geraghty points out that by the end of a hypothetical second John McCain term, little Alex will be nine-years-old and not likely to be drafted at that age. Ed Morrissey gives a reasoned response by pointing out that John McCain, of all people, understands the nature of the sacrifice required of those who go to war as well as those who watch and wait as their precious children go to war.
And the parodies begin. Allahpundit posted a parody. But my favorite so far was posted by Josh Schroeder, who calls himself ‘one private citizen‘ and says ‘Not My Wallet’ … enjoy that video below.
Not My Wallet - Video
Hey Beth…will ya check on my trackbacks ? I tried to do this one and Alex’s mom. Thanks…
I don’t see the trackback, Jo - but I’ll link over
I wish I could figure out what I’m doing wrong…I use what I think is the permalink, and put it in trackback box…but then it never shows. It seems the only trackbacks I don’t screw up are te ones with numbers in them…grrrr… Someday, perhaps I’ll have an epiphany and say ohhhhhhhh..that’s what I’m doing wrong !
“Greater no love than this, than a man who lays down his life for his friends.” sayeth John 15:13. Mac’s son is an enlistee in the USMC and if the draft was reinstituted, I’d like to see how the reps and sens VOTE if their sons and daughters and nieces and nephews were in the U.S. military, and IN HARM’S WAY Beth!
What a riot! I love it.
Beth,
Congratulations! Your previous post was quoted in Bill Kristol’s column in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/opinion/23kristol.html?hp)!
Your comments were great and the video in this post is a hoot!
This is your topic…take it and run with it.
Godspeed to your son. May he be successful in his mission and return home safely.
The wallet parody might be more effective if Bush had not increased spending and blown billions of taxpayer dollars on a counterproductive war that has neither captured the ideological leader of the 9/11 attacks, nor made the American people any bit safer.
If the government mandates that troops be sent somewhere to do something, that mandate alone does not provide either a solid strategic or a moral justification for the collective act. I really think some people (far too many) would be happy to hand over their wallets AND their kids if Bush decided to invade Greenland, Canada, and Australia tomorrow as part of the “Global War on Terror” (or, as Rumsfeld said “Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism” or maybe it’s just a Fight Against Bad Things?)…
MoveOn’s Alex ad is not anti-”military service”, or anti-”protect our country”. It’s about Iraq, and the possibility of being in Iraq for 100 year. Has anybody thought about the monetary cost of that? Not to mention all the Alex’s that we’ve already buried. I feel the same way as that mother, about my own children… military service is to be admired and commended, certainly in pursuit of the terrorists who planned 9/11, but not in pursuit of someone’s arrogant, foolish, costly misstep. That’s the worst reason to lose a child.
Not to mention all the Alex’s that we’ve already buried. I feel the same way as that mother, about my own children
We don’t send children off to war. Adults make adult decisions whether or not to volunteer to serve their country and protect the Alexes of the world, and their mothers.
Two of McCain’s own sons have fought on the front lines of this war, I think he understands the nature of that sacrifice. The closest that Obama has been to understanding that is playing video games, which is how we can expect him to think about and use our Military if he gets into office. Its been 897 days since he has been to Iraq.
Angelina Jolie returned from Iraq in February 2008, and stated in a Feb 28th Wash Post editorial “As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible.”
By the way, while there she met with General Petraeus, something that Obama has chosen not to do.
Angelina Jolie returned from It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation. Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do.
It is fine to read Bill kristol’s condemnation of the new Moveon.org ad featuring the young mother, “Not My Eric” if we choose to overlook the role Kristol and his band of draft dodgers played in starting this lie-based war. As a World War 2 vet I am amazed that it seems the most admired men in our present society are those who avoided ever wearing a uniform or serving in combat. Indded proof positive that “Life is a survival of the fittest” and the most truly fit will never leave their body parts on a distant battlefield as long as we now have their wars being fought by members of our economic under-class. Now that my life is drawing to its natural end I have informed all my family members to duplicate the efforts of Kristol, Cheney and their Neocon advisors and to avoid serving in any military uniform. AS the German soldier said in the 1930 classic film, “All Quiet On The Western Front”, “Let’s put all these guys who want a war fight it out in a roped off area and let the best man win so the rest of us can go home.” Steve USN, World War 2.
Tortured Journalism…
Tortured JournalismPart I…
cudos to you Beth …keep em straight
applause to you Beth …keep em straight
Good one, after listening to MoveOn’s ad below I seem to be having a headache, feels better now.
Nothing a little vaseline and 120 mm wouldn’t cure but thanx for saving me the trouble.
Well said, MBuckley.
And I speak as someone who comes from a military family, with a loved one currently on active duty.
Interesting contrast:
Mother feels protective of child.
Man feels protective of wallet.
Not sure it’s one you want to be bragging about.
Check out this answer to the Moveon.org “Alex” vid.