Applauding killers…

There was this ad during the Super Bowl that really turned my stomach.

Setting: Airport.
Actors in khakis walk off of a plane and into an airport. Actors in business clothes applaud them.
End commercial.

What a horrible message this is sending.

Are we supposed to applaud people who willing go into countries that aren't a threat to us and kill innocent men, women and children? Because that's what they are. This is, as (burning) Bush and his cronies keep pointing out, a volunteer army. These people volunteered to kill innocent men, women and children and (burning) Bush gave them the opportunity.

So, applaud them? Hell no! I'd sooner throw a rock.

I'm sure that many of you reading this will immediately think of that mythical story of soldiers returning from Vietnam only to be spit upon at home. Well, let's look at that. After all, Iraq is the Vietnam for this generation. So, what's the difference?

These people asked to do this. They asked to do this job. They asked for the opportunity to kill innocent men, women and children. They wanted to do it. They weren't drafted. They weren't forced. They went of their own free will and said, "Please give me a weapon and a chance to become a monster." They can throw down their weapons at any time and in any place but choose not to.

So, applaud them? Hell, no.

Is this extreme? Sure, it is. But so is the idea that we should have an ovation after a war. Wars, especially this one, should be concluded with silent reflection, even prayer, that it never happens again. Humanity should be ashamed of wars, not proud. We've forgotten about this as a society and, lest we forget, we volunteered to do it.