I've seen this in my inbox on more than one occasion and it's probably an embellishment of a story a guy heard about something someone actually saw in an airport. What really bugs me about it is how I'm continually not just bombarded with pro-military propaganda, but expected to value the American soldiers in Iraq as heroes.

I am sick and tired of it. These soldiers, admittedly, have signed up to perform a dangerous job for too little money and are quite often screwed out of what little is owed them by the Federal government. However, they volunteered to participate in an illegal action to invade a country under false pretenses. They are not heroes according to my system of values.

I know I am out on a limb when not even Bill Maher or Penn Jillette are out here with me, but maybe 1 of the 3 flog readers can comment on why I am required to esteem people that are prosecuting (yes, by proxy but the Nuremburg defense is still invalid in my opinion) an immoral act that is making my life less free and less secure in real quantitative terms. The bigger question, of course, is why, in a free society, I am not allowed by my fellow citizens to hold or express this opinion.