Of Heroes and Villains

In discussing the reason for the poor showing of the recent movies about the war, J.D. JOHANNES makes an interesting point:

But when confronted with a real life situation--like the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and larger war on terror few will step up to be heroes.


The many who do not have the ability to step up fall into two categories--those who acknowledge their inability to be heroes and those who do not.


Being a hero is not a job for everyone, many accept this and give credit to those who are willing to take the challenge.


But there is another group for who the sting of their own cowardice is too much to bear. They are not willing to accept that they cannot be heroes.


They cannot accept that, even if they were younger or had the physical ability to confront a violent villain, they would shrink from the challenge.


To alleviate their guilt they invent a new villain--Halliburton, Cheney, neo-cons, politicians, military officers, Soldiers, Marines--in short, anyone who will not physically harm them.

That bears repeating. The media are filled with denunciations of the Bush administration as Hitler, and worse than Hitler. So are the bumper sticker crowd and the various protest groups with their home-made signs. But they know they are not telling the truth. They know they are attacking someone who will not strike back. They don’t really fear Bush or Cheney will have them arrested and tortured then shot. They know they are physically safe.

Because we have seen how this group reacts when they have even the slightest fear for their own safety. The refuse to publish the Mohammad cartoons.

Thank you NY Times, Virginian Pilot and fellow members of the drive-by-media for making your courage crystal clear.