Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Americans who remain silent or even worse supportive, knowing that prisoners are being held without trial, tortured and killed, because these Americans think that perhaps our government will learn some little tidbit from one or two of the captives that might prevent a terrorist attack in the future, they're cowards.

Democrats who supported the war in Iraq, even though they knew or strongly suspected it was based on lies and would end up being a disaster, because they were afraid of what would happen if they turned out to be wrong, they're cowards.

Americans who are willing to send other people's sons and daughters and husbands and wives off to war in Iraq, so that they can fight the terrorists over there, rather than risk the possibility of any terrorist attack over here, they're cowards. They're also stupid.

Americans who vote for Republicans, even though they know those Republicans will do more to harm them than help them, simply because they think Republicans may do a better job killing terrorists, they're cowards. They're also stupid.

Americans who drive SUVs and Hummers because they think they have a better chance of surviving an auto accident, they're cowards. They're also stupid. They're also causing death and suffering today and long-term calamities we are only beginning to fathom.

Americans who wear the uniform, or watch their sons, daughters, husbands and wives fight in Iraq, Afghanistan, or other hell-holes, are NOT cowards. But, they deserve a much better government, and much braver citizens than too many of those whom they serve. They also deserve a government and people who sacrifice on their behalf, who pay whatever taxes are necessary so that our troops have the right equipment, adequate training and logistical support, and decent treatment for homecoming veterans. Instead we do things on the cheap, losing precious lives and tens of thousands of battered bodies and souls returning to a nation that doesn't want to even see them.

Cowards allow others to suffer or be killed on the off chance that others' suffering or deaths might keep the cowards a little safer. Cowards allow our precious freedoms, purchased with the blood of many generations in the past, to be cast off in the off chance that discarding those freedoms might keep those cowards a bit safer. Cowards wrap themselves in the flag, calling other people traitors for disagreeing with their cowardly behavior.

From today on, when I'm in the midst of a discussion about issues like these, and someone says they are just trying to keep America safe, I'm going to call em like I see em.

Cowards!