It appears that President Bush will be announcing an increase in troops to Iraq along with laying out a new blueprint for how the War on Terror will be fought there in his speech tonight. (This might be hopeful thinking, but it could be that the recent activity in Somalia – which I suspect had to involve least some U.S. Special Forces personnel lending some behind-the-scenes assistance – is an example of what is to come.) As of this writing, POTUS’ speech is a little over seven hours away, and yet liberal politicians such as Ted Kennedy and Richard Durbin are already decrying it even as they prepare to gather for a symbolic vote to pull financing for this increase.

As cowardly and hypocritical as this liberal symbolic vote is, what is truly despicable is their insistence but inaccurate comparisons of Iraq with Vietnam (a war that was loss because of the cowardly actions of politicians like those led today by Kennedy and Durbin). A comparison that is crowed with as much enthusiasm today by the journalistic guard of the Old Media as it the inaccuracies about Vietnam were reported by their predecessors in the 1960s and 1970s.

The more things change, it seems, the more they stay the same, which has me more than a little concerned. As important as POTUS’ speech will be and the liberal’s pre-reaction are, another concern of mine that is being overlooked in all of this is how are military men and women are being when they return from service in the War on Terror.

I am 46, old enough to remember the turbulent days of anti-war protests against the Vietnam War. Trust me, you really had to be there to fully appreciate the hippies, slogans like "Make Love Not War" and "Don’t Trust Anybody Over Thirty," and the campus takeovers and fires in the street. Even after President Nixon brought our boys back home and Congress abandoned South Vietnam, the fun and thrills kept on keeping on as our Vietnam veterans were greeted with the catcalls of "baby killers" and spit on by the protestors.

Ironically, only a few years before the end of the Vietnam War, a popular little protest song called "Bring ‘em Home" was written by Pete Seeger, best known as a member of the folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. This anti-war song sounds very supportive of the young men serving in Vietnam:

If you love your Uncle Sam, bring ‘em home

Bring ‘em home – Bring ‘em home

Support our boys in Vietnam, bring ‘em home

Bring ‘em home – Bring ‘em home

This all sounds nice, until you remember how our boys were treated after President Nixon did bring ‘em home? Along with the insults, they were betrayed by a future senator and presidential candidate named John Kerry even as they were being portrayed as mentally-damaged psychos on television programs and in films.

Compare this to what is already happening to today, where protestors are showing up at veteran hospitals and funerals with signs like "God Hates Your Tears" and "Thank God For Dead Soldiers." This from people who belong to groups like Group Pink, whose website instead show members holding a sign that says, "Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home Now," but leave out information like their lining up mock caskets on a sidewalk to represent the death toll in Iraq.

Recently Bruce Springsteen, an outspoken protestor against the War on Terror being fought in Iraq, recorded an updated version of "Bring ‘em Home" for release on an album. Apparently the more things change, the more they really do stay the same. It would be nice if, in this instance, only the song would remain the same, but judging from what you can read at the links posted below, that isn’t the case.

Just a little food for thought, for now and for the future.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/06/btsc.lavandrera.funerals/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/17/us/17picket.html?ex=1302926400&en=fa00fcbce509da8b&ei=5088&

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=%5CSpecialReports%5Carchive%5C200508%5CSPE20050825a.html

http://theredhunter.com/2005/08/at_the_walter_reed_army_medical_center_faceoff_with_code_pink.php

http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?list=type&type=81

http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=3431