Hating Those Who Would Save Us

Bob Newman

Volunteerism has been a hallmark of American society since 1776, when volunteers came forward to fight against British tyranny and create the United States of America. In every war since the Revolutionary War, Americans have stepped forward when the country needed them. Most who served in the military did so voluntarily, not waiting to be drafted when there was a draft. Were it not for those volunteers, there would be no United States of America and there would be no columnist named Jim Spencer at the Denver Post to attack the military personnel he so loathes and despises.

Spencer’s most recent hate-mongering, intolerant diatribe rails against the courageous men and women of your armed forces for having the gall to spread the word to high-school students about the importance of defending one’s country at home and abroad.

Spencer hates the idea that recruiters are at liberty to contact soon-to-be high school grads to tell them about the myriad benefits of being in the military, such as free medical care for the service member and his/her family, retirement after only 20 years, remarkable promotion opportunity, free or almost-free college educations, free housing, and free training in a wide variety of job skills, such as air traffic controller, paramedic, police officer, avionics technician, nuclear power plant operator, accountant, computer programmer, deep-sea diver, construction worker, trucker, pilot, electrical engineer, dental assistant, operating room technician, firefighter, and hundreds more skill areas.

Nope. Jim Spencer would rather qualified young men and women didn’t know about any of that. He would prefer they knew only about opportunities of which he, Jim Spencer, personally approved.

In his latest anti-American tirade, Spencer’s ugly words are used to accost and insult those who have died so that he maintains the right to accost and insult them. I wonder if he laughs when he sees armless, legless and sightless veterans and thinks to himself, Hey, you should have known better, jerk.

What Spencer does not bother to mention is the undeniable fact that were it not for recruiters being available to those who would like to volunteer to serve their country, the military, tens of thousands strong with dozens of ships and hundreds of aircraft, would not have been there to rescue and provide relief services to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The people of Afghanistan would still be under the maniacal regime of the Taliban. Saddam would still be working on his second million victims. The people of South Korea would have been crushed by the North. The Third Reich and Japanese Empire would have never been defeated.

To Jim Spencer, it appears that volunteers for the military are morons who have it coming and deserve whatever grim fate might await them.

Ironically, Spencer’s own paper, on the same day his column appeared, printed an editorial citing how American military volunteers are “providing 26 helicopters to carry people and supplies, along with temporary hospital beds and facilities to serve at least a half-million meals a day. Once the storm hits land, military aircraft will be dispatched to survey the damage. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco has mobilized buses this time to evacuate people without transportation, and she asked the federal government to provide an extra 15,000 troops to aid anticipated relief efforts.”

Those choppers are all being flown by volunteers who got into the military via recruiters. Those supplies, hospital beds and facilities to serve a half-million meals a day are all being provided by volunteers who got into the military via recruiters. Those 15,000 extra troops are all volunteers who got into the military via recruiters. They all suck, according to Jim. They are fools who fell prey to the evil military recruiting service.

Funny, but Jimbo will be the first to cry out for the military to rescue him were a natural disaster to put him in harm’s way. Once in a position of safety again thanks to the military, Jim would write about how stupid his rescuers were to have volunteered for such hazardous duty.

“When the military needs bodies, it’ll do whatever it takes to find them,” Spencer writes. In this case, Spencer is writing about the dastardly practice of calling prospective recruits on the telephone.

Outrageous! A phone call! Telephones are clearly the tool of evil American military personnel out to kill your son or daughter. Recruiters, by Spencer’s logic, should not be allowed to use the phone. Oh, sure. Military members can use a chopper and put their miserable little lives on the line to rescue Jim’s butt when he’s in trouble, but calling a possible future rescuer is beyond the pale.

Sleep well tonight, Jim. The military with which you are so disgusted stands ready to come fetch you when you need them, even if they die trying.

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Bob Newman, a decorated, retired US Marine, is host of the “Gunny Bob Show” on Newsradio 850 KOA in Denver, and host of “Anger-Management Hour” on 630 KHOW, also in Denver. A ground-combat veteran, he is the director of international security & counterterrorism services for The GeoScope Group and is the military science & terrorism columnist for The Denver Daily News. He can be reached at bobnewman@clearchannel.com.

bobnewman@clearchannel.com