Liberal rag Salon has set out to offend every person that put on a military uniform in service to country or supports the troops this Veterans Day. On Sunday, it published an article titled, “You don’t protect my freedom: Our childish insistence on calling solider heroes deadens real democracy.” To get the gist of the whole article, here’s the first paragraph: “Put a man in uniform, preferably a white man, give him a gun, and Americans will worship him. It is a particularly childish trait, of a childlike culture, that insists on anointing all active military members and police officers as ‘heroes.’ The rhetorical sloppiness and intellectual shallowness of affixing such a reverent label to everyone in the military or law enforcement betrays a frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism, but it also makes honest and serious conversations necessary for the maintenance and enhancement of a fragile democracy nearly impossible.” In the very first sentence the author deploys and knocks down a straw man argument. Sure, like every human institution, the military is not without it’s flaws. However, many soldiers uphold their oaths to Support and Defend the Constitution, they do right despite the fog of war and they stand against evildoers who seek to harm the innocent. This is why we remember veterans on this day. But Salon and the author think the word “hero” applies to the likes of Jesse Jackson and rap artist Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Salon – Keeping the standards high on the use of the word “hero,” we see. More…