Note to Kid Rock: I don't HAVE to do anything you say

Kid Rock spent Christmas in Iraq, and his conclusion was, according to Starpulse News Blog, that his "countrymen" (well, that doesn't include me, anyway, does it, Starpulse?) should show support for the troops. "No matter what you think of this war, you have to support and respect our troops. I know all of us do, but maybe try and show a little more if you can."

Here's a clue, Kid: Not all of us support and respect the troops.

I'll start with myself:

• I do not respect a group of people when 85% of them believe they are in Iraq because of the "Saddam connection" to the September 11 attacks. Because I do not respect willful ignorance.

• I do not respect troops who repeatedly, and not coincidentally, attack members of the news media.

• I do not respect troops who torture prisoners, and commanders who either tell them to torture or who look the other way.

• I do not respect soldiers who sexually harrass, assault and rape other American soldiers, or the commanders who let them get away with it.

• I do not respect troops who kill innocent Iraqi citizens who pose no threat to them.

But enough about me. Let's move on to Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush:

• He attacked another country for no reason that makes any sense at all, and--as we now know--he was planning the attack while he was unpacking his boxes and moving into the White House. (For those who are slow with math, that was eight months before the September 11 attacks.) That means that he cavalierly and deceptively sent thousands of American troops to a place where they were likely to be maimed, killed or stricken with both physical and mental illnesses.
  

• After the U.S. invaded Iraq, he cut benefits for soldiers and their families.

• He cut veterans' benefits, which were already pretty bad, considering the state of most veterans' medical facilities.

• He and Donalad Rumsfeld permitted U.S. soldiers to fight without sufficient body armor and protective vehicles.

• When they finally got around to getting our soldiers some body armor, it was armor that had been tested and found so defective that it was labelled "life-threatening."

• He has done almost nothing to solve the crisis of homelessness among returning veterans.

So Kid, I'm sorry, but neither George W. Bush nor I especially support or respect the troops. But there is a difference between us: I sincerely mourn the death of every American soldier.

And by the way, Kid, you look kind of young and strong to me. Why the hell aren't you picking up a gun and spending some time in those horrific bathrooms and showers you describe?