Iraq War Syllogism - 8 Poem by Raj Dronamraju

8

Do you support our troops?
That's a statement that attempts to straightjacket the dialogue
You attempted to shackle and bound opposition with wifebeater rhetoric
Do you still beat your wife is a question that is technically impossible to answer

No you cannot support an unjust war and somehow the troops fighting in it
That's a balancing act impossible to execute
One greases the wheels for the other
Making life more liveable for the people executing the orders of imperialism

To be truly anti-war is to not give up once the war has started
"Oh well I didn't get what I want-time to join the team! "
To support soldiers engaged in a just war is to be just as bad as those clamouring for blood
Those crowding and urging a nation to combat
Those who push others into killing
Those who tip democracy to fascism in a sudden motion as if pouring lightning from a jug

Why should there be a suspension of opposition to a war we know is wrong?
To say it is not patriotic to support the troops regardless of the mission
To lend historical support ala Germany circa 1930's
For I have no moral duty beyond what my country tells me
I was only following orders

The war in Vietnam ended with the testimony of the troops themselves
How broken and confused and damaged they were
How quickly their patriotism dulled on the needlepoint of fascism
The people fighting the wars themselves are the ones with power to stop it

8

Do you support our troops?
That's a statement that attempts to straightjacket the dialogue
You attempted to shackle and bound opposition with wifebeater rhetoric
Do you still beat your wife is a question that is technically impossible to answer

No you cannot support an unjust war and somehow the troops fighting in it
That's a balancing act impossible to execute
One greases the wheels for the other
Making life more liveable for the people executing the orders of imperialism

To be truly anti-war is to not give up once the war has started
"Oh well I didn't get what I want-time to join the team! "
To support soldiers engaged in a just war is to be just as bad as those clamouring for blood
Those crowding and urging a nation to combat
Those who push others into killing
Those who tip democracy to fascism in a sudden motion as if pouring lightning from a jug

Why should there be a suspension of opposition to a war we know is wrong?
To say it is not patriotic to support the troops regardless of the mission
To lend historical support ala Germany circa 1930's
For I have no moral duty beyond what my country tells me
I was only following orders

The war in Vietnam ended with the testimony of the troops themselves
How broken and confused and damaged they were
How quickly their patriotism dulled on the needlepoint of fascism
The people fighting the wars themselves are the ones with power to stop it