Others have made this point, but it’s a good excuse to link to a funny comic, so I’m gonna make it again. Tom Tomorrow isn’t saying you don’t have the right to comment on war unless you’re enlisted or a veteran. He’s saying — well, read the second panel. “I’m waging war on the Islamofascists — on my blog!” He’s saying that’s a really stupid thing to say.
Now, that might seem like hyperbole. Who says stuff like that? Perhaps the irate blogger is really meant to represent some other class of bloggers. Warbloggers in general, maybe. Maybe he’s saying all warbloggers are stupid.
But, no, not really. It’s not terribly hard to find quotes similar to Tom’s. Here’s the Imperial Kitten pretending his blog is a service to the country :
“Maybe I HAVE found a way of serving my country already and I didn’t even realize it, even though it was staring me right in the face.”
And don’t get me started on the Freepers.
When you think about it, this attitude is closely linked to the idea that anti-war activists are treasonous. If I’m hurting America by saying the war is a bad idea, then someone who defends the war must be helping America. Even waging the war himself, in his own way. Once you get there, you’ve got yourself a nice little positive feedback loop. “I’m doing good, and you’re doing bad.”
What more have we ever needed to validate ourselves than that?