Emboldened To Be Insulting, Fatuous and Imbecilic

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William Arkin, in his column Early Warning, “On National And Homeland Security,” has written two posts for the Washington Post which have, shall we say, ahem, indicated his clear dim-wittedness, disrespect and incapability to understand the basic freedoms bestowed upon every citizen of these United States.

He wrote two posts; please see both and in this order: post one, and then post two.

Hugh Hewitt took Mr. Arkin to task and wrote “The Washington Post’s William Arkin has penned two poisonous columns revealing his contempt for the American military,” and “The Post now faces a business decision: Does it continue to employ as its ‘national security and homeland security’ expert a military-hater with zero credibility, or does it give him the boot?”

Know what? I’ll clip some excerpts here and you can decide. But please; don’t simply take my word for it — read both posts and draw your own conclusions.

From the first column:

The Troops Also Need to Support the American People
I’ve been mulling over an NBC Nightly News report from Iraq last Friday in which a number of soldiers expressed frustration with opposition to war in the United States.

I’m all for everyone expressing their opinion, even those who wear the uniform of the United States Army. But I also hope that military commanders took the soldiers aside after the story and explained to them why it wasn’t for them to disapprove of the American people.

These soldiers should be grateful that the American public, which by all polls overwhelmingly disapproves of the Iraq war and the President’s handling of it, do still offer their support to them, and their respect.

Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every rape and murder, the American public has indulged those in uniform, accepting that the incidents were the product of bad apples or even of some administration or command order.

It only gets more insulting and degrading:

So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way, and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead, defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society?

But it is the United States, and the recent NBC report is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary – oops sorry, volunteer – force that thinks it is doing the dirty work.

Allow me a moment here if you will, whilst I try to come down from 210/190. I really will make a concerted attempt to minimize the poo-poo-nasty words but I fear some may ultimately slip and snake their way through to sunlight.

First, because they are soldiers, Mr. Arkin would apparently have us believe they have become and should forever be mute; that is to say, shut the fuck up, take the bullets and IEDs for us and keep their damned opinions to themselves. In essence Arkin says: “I’m all for everyone expressing their opinion except when it conflicts with my beliefs — then it’s incumbent upon commanders to discipline their troops for disagreeing with a segment of the American People” — and clearly not all the American People.

First Big Question: would Arkin have even wasted his time with this article in terms of j’accuse had the soldiers expressed opinions congruent with his own? Huh — I suspect not.

First Answer From BZ: you hypocrite.

Also, if soldiers are so well paid, so well cared-for, why are some families below the American poverty level? “Vast social support systems?” Ever been to a VA hospital? Good luck. Belonging to the American Military is not an assumed “walk in the park” by any stretch of the imagination.

And “ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them”? What in the fuck do you mean by this, Mr. Arkin? That we shouldn’t take care of our own troops? That we might ship iPods and books and candies and PDAs and clean underwear and letters from strangers to the men and women that fight for us is a bad thing?
Check out the photo to the right, Mr. Arkin. My, that’s an appealing way to sleep, don’t you think? Ah, so comfy! And so easy to let your mind relax from another dull day of dodging RPGs, 7.62 rounds, Semtex, AK-47s and the like. Ah, so simple to be the average American soldier in Iraq. Stress? What stress?
Stress is apparently, for Mr. Arkin, having to decide when to drive to his market for a new bottle of wine for his dinner guests. Red? White? Merlot? I am so perplexed; I can’t take it! Where’s my Paxil, dammit?!

And best yet, Mr. Arkin has just labeled all our good soldiers as nothing more than mercenaries.
Mercenaries.
The next column he writes (see this link again, post two) consists of his attempting to ameliorate and make light of the fact he called our soldiers “mercenaries.”
And then, because it’s a blog, here’s a comment from some inarticulate shitstick belittling not only our freedoms, but this nation’s soldiers having died for his ability to write:

Sieg Heil To The Glorious Military For They Brought Us Forth Our Freedoms. BFD!
Posted by: Sieg Heil February 1, 2007 10:31 PM

Ah yes, there’s a good American.
And Mr. Arkin, you too are a good American, just like Sieg Heil above.
You despicable bastard.
BZ
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96 thoughts on “Emboldened To Be Insulting, Fatuous and Imbecilic”

  2. LMC: posts or columns like Arkin’s belong exposed in the light of day for all to see. I may vehemently diagree with what this moron says but, on the other hand, I won’t ever attempt to censor what he writes. I’ll let the free market forces determine what shall be Arkin’s fate. On the other hand, it’s somewhat consoling, at least for me, that some venues in the old MainStream Media (i.e., newspapers) are bleeding readers and cash horribly. :^)

    BZ

  3. You’re right, BZ. The idiot has the right to spout any crap that he pleases, and you and I have the right to shoot him down for it (not literally, of course). You did a good job of “shooting him down” on this post.

    What a nincompoop he is! I’m so glad I don’t know anyone this deranged in real life.

  5. Notice his wording:

    “I’m all for everyone expressing their opinion, EVEN those who wear the uniform of the United States Army.”

    Like,”Oh, well, I GUESS they can open their yaps.” The man is disgusting.

    “ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them”

    I have shipped some pretty crazy stuff over there to my friends. Like food, Gatorade, chapstick, eye drops, even some….wait for it….candy. Oh, my. Yup, it’s just obscene!!!!

  6. Jenn of the Jungle: thank you for commenting and welcome to my blog, please come back and visit! Yes, again one of my points: I suppose HE gets to determine what is proper and decent in terms of items sent to our soldiers in war? What possibly makes HIM the damned clearinghouse of “obscene amenities”? NO ONE. It is merely his OPINION and, consequently, it is only the OPINIONS of those soldiers who have the temerity, the GAUL, to actually WONDER about what their fellow citizens are doing in terms of support at HOME.

    How AUDACIOUS of those damnable soldiers, defending us, to actually ASK what their fellow citizens are doing at home! Don’t they know their place is to STFU and die?!

    I reiterate: Arkin is despicable.

    BZ

  11. Well said BZ. This is the part that made me shake my head in wonder:

    “I also hope that military commanders took the soldiers aside after the story and explained to them why it wasn’t for them to disapprove of the American people.”

    Has this idiot lost sight of the fact that Soldiers and Marines ARE American people? Apparently so. I can disagree with whoever the hell I want to. Not only do I fight to defend his right to be an idiot, but I too enjoy the rights guaranteed to me by the first amendment. Perhaps he spent too many hours in the sun with his tinfoil hat on.

  12. JJ: precisely! Donning the uniform, what, just immediately removes your right to an opinion? No, of course not. But the deal that Arkin hates is the fact that the bulk of our military, for rather sane reasons, tends to consist of Conservative and, I would additionally submit, God-fearing individuals who do NOT necessarily trod the same path as he.

    You and I both KNOW for a FACT that should most of our military personnel just, you know, HAPPEN to AGREE with him, this would be something called a “non-issue.”

    BZ

  14. MinuteMom: I very much enjoy exposing these apologists to Islam to the light of day. I wonder how he might feel if he were, at the point of a bayonet, forced to bow to Mecca 5 times a day. Perhaps a tad differently?

    BZ

  17. Yes, BZ! We have the right to speak out against this dumbass because of our children fighting for that right! I say fine quiet the troops and then let their mothers speak for them. Mr. Arkin will then decide that the troops getting a little frustrated with their job (in which I am sure Mr. Arkin has never gotten frustrated with his more than perfect job situation, sitting in a nice little office or even a plush cubicle as it may be, not having to worry about if he is going to have enough bullets to survive, much less a few, maybe not needed but never the less appreciated comforts from home). My advice to Mr. Arkin, learn when to keep your own damn mouth shut! You have just pissed off something worse than the military, you have pissed off the military’s mama!

  18. Blondiebee: thanks for visiting and thanks for commenting! You are so correct. It continues to stagger me how few truly understand that it was the SOLDIER who, in America, allows the media to continue with its ability to write whatever can be published.

    BZ

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