Cory Farley: "There's something about the way the militarys being used now, though, that cheapens it. There's no clear danger from Iraq. No evidence has shown that our deadly enemy Saddam Hussein is more to blame for terrorism than, say, our good friends the Saudis. The pro-war faction, the president and secretary of defense and the rest, talk in generalities about threats, but show nothing.
Most despicably, they go to military bases, whip the troops to a cheering frenzy, then point to that as support: Our young men and woman are eager to bring the terrorists to justice. When you see those clips, remember that the troops doing the cheering are boys, a year or two out of high school. If they weren't cheering for that, they'd be cheering a football team. Our military, every military, depends on the gullibility of the young. That's not always a bad thing �Esomeone has to be there, and an Army of 40-somethings would want to know why, and why so early, and whether this was the best use of their skills. In the absence of evidence, though, using the eagerness of the young to convince a lukewarm public to send those same young people to die for oil, die for pride, die for presidential revenge, is a cheap trick. Not surprising, but no less cheap for that." (Reno Gazette Journal, 11/8/02)