Young Republicans support Iraq war, but not all are willing to join the fight:
NEW YORK - Young Republicans gathered here for their party's national convention are united in applauding the war in Iraq, supporting the U.S. troops there and calling the U.S. mission a noble cause.
But there's no such unanimity when they're asked a more personal question: Would you be willing to put on the uniform and go to fight in Iraq?
"Frankly, I want to be a politician. I'd like to survive to see that," said Vivian Lee, 17, a war supporter visiting the convention from Los Angeles.Yeah, Viv, I'm sure
Moses Daniel Rocha would have liked to survive to see
anything. Like maybe his kid grow up.
"As long as there's a steady stream of volunteers, I don't see why I necessarily should volunteer," said Lee, who has a cousin deployed in the Middle East.We know, Viv, we know. It's tough not being black enough or brown enough or poor enough. It's a good thing that you don't have to enlist in the Army or Marines because it's the only path out of your circumstances.
..."I physically probably couldn't do a whole lot in Iraq", said Tiffanee Hokel, 18, of Webster City, Iowa, who called the war a moral imperative. She knows people posted in Iraq, but she didn't flinch when asked why she wouldn't go.
"I think I could do more here," Hokel said, adding that she's focusing on political action that supports the war and the troops.
"We don't have to be there physically to fight it," she said.How can I even respond to such drivel from the likes of Tiff, a charter member of the "war by Playstation II" generation? I'm at a temporary loss for words. So young. So white. So.......republican. And one last quote:
"I'm in college right now, but who knows?" said Matthew Vail, a 25-year-old from Huntsville, Ala., who works with Students for Bush. He said he might consider enlisting after he finishes his degree at the University of North Carolina, but not until then.
"The bug may get me after college," he said. Oh, now I get it. Deciding to serve in the military is a "bug" that bites you. Kind of like that spur-of-the-moment weekend roadtrip to Hilton Head with the frat brothers. Or buying a roll of Mentos when you're at the checkout counter with the case of Heineken.
I guess what we can take away from this article is that Dubya and Crashcart are truly an example for the youth of America to follow. Why bother involving yourself in an icky mess, and maybe muss up the manicure at Camp Anaconda, when some other kid of lesser means can do it for you?
No conscience. No soul. No empathy. Scary.
