The Deeper Meaning

Others far more informed and articulate than I have fisked Stein's abhorrent piece of trash to pieces, but I wanted to point out some comments on what it may portend.

In response to Uncle Jimbo's post, commenter Jordan writes:

Although he may have just intended to jerk the military's chain, Stein's assertion that he doesn't support the troops is a signpost not to be ignored. It has, in a sense, broken the "taboo" about demeaning or insulting the troops . This taboo had been mostly respected, even by Bush-bashers, but look for this to change. Now that its been written, published and discussed in MSM, its easier and more "acceptable" for others to do the same.

Cassie takes it even further in an additional comment on her post about it:

I once read (and I believe it with all my heart) that there are certain things you should never say out loud.

Like in a marriage: you should never say, "I want a divorce" unless you mean to walk out the door. Because once those words come out of your mouth, you have crossed the Rubicon.

[snip] Sometimes the social inhibitions, even the hypocritical ones like people who secretly don't support the troops but won't say so, come from shame. But they have value, too, in that they keep the general tone reasonable.

This man feels no shame for taking cheap shots at people he isn't fit to shine the shoes of, and that frightens me. I can't help but wonder if this represents a turning of the tide. I have a lot of bad memories from growing up, of the way the military was treated. I hope I am wrong.

One thing I particularly admire about Cassie's writing is that she expertly blends intellect and intution, possessing extraordinarily powerful doses of both. I am too young to remember the anti-military attitudes surrounding Vietnam and its aftermath, but I've read enough that all of this gives me a certain unpleasant tingle at the back of my neck.

I'm asking for your thoughts... Those of you who do remember, do you see this as just isolated pockets, or is there a tide possibly beginning to turn, here? It happened before. Is it truly happening again?