Chicken Doves -- You can't talk about peace unless you've served in the Peace Corps
Chicken Doves -- You can't talk about peace unless you've served in the Peace Corps:Give me space, self-important rant time ...
IndustrialBlogger has gotten tired anti-war types groaning on and on about chickenhawks, those people who favor the war on terrorism but never served in the military. The anti-war types' implication is obvious: Pro-war types are brave with other people's blood.
Here's my answer: Let's forget the chickenhawks for a moment. If we're going to do ad hominem, let's do it all the way. Let's talk about, Mr./Ms. Anti-War Protestor. Are you a Chicken Dove? That is, have you put your body in harm's way in the service of peace for your country? Or are you willing to enjoy the fruits of peace without a personal risk or a personal sacrifice?
And I don't mean standing in the cold for a couple of hours and carrying signs and listening to Jesse Jackson, followed by a ride home in a heated bus to your comfortable apartment with cable television and a hot meal. I mean taking time out from your career and your First World comforts and serving in a Third World country where you might get hurt, get sick and even die for no damned reason other than that's what happens when you go.
I can talk. Not only did I serve in Sub-Saharan Africa for two years in the U.S. Peace Corps, my right leg serves a permanent reminder of my service. In February, 1995, while riding on a motorcycle on a Saturday afternoon break, I was struck by a drunk driver in a pickup truck. My leg was caught between the pickup and bike wheel, and my tib/fib snapped. It took four days to get me back to the States before I could be treated thoroughly. I still walk with a limp. The pain in my ankle is there every day, all the time.
And you know what? I'm happy to bear it. The pain connects me to my country, and to every other person who ever served the United States. It's a small price to pay. I'm sure there are many other returned volunteers and war vets who feel the same way. But I won't speak for them. I also know the price some have borne is far greater than I have. I'm in for a penny; others have given the full pound. And I'm grateful to them.
Bottom line, Mr./Mrs. Anti-War Protestor: If you're not willing to listen to chickenhawks, you better not be a chicken dove. If they can't talk about war unless they've served, you can't talk about peace unless you've served.
posted by Bill at 5:01 AM
