Dr. Laura, meet the MSM:
Raging radio human relations guru Laura Schlessinger, in Salt Lake City on Friday [Military Spouse Day] to speak to Army families at Fort Douglas, said she was tired of hearing the complaints of lonely and overwhelmed military wives whose husbands are deployed.
"He could come back without arms, legs or eyeballs, and you're bitching?" Schlessinger asked before taking the stage at the base theater to host her daily program on ethics, morals and values. "You're not dodging bullets, so I don't want to hear any whining - that's my message to them."
Needless to say, voluminous amounts of anger and scorn were heaped by military families on Dr. Laura for her supposed comments. Left in the dust was the fact that her son is currently a deployed paratrooper, and that even I (who is not a regular listener) know enough about her to know that her attitude for decades has been that a mature person is responsible for one's own emotions and does not lay one's own burdens on those whose burdens are greater. I knew the true context of her statements long before I read this:
Although this interview went over one-half hour, and I covered a wide range of subjects pertinent to military families and the war, he chose a comment, one that I’ve made before many times on the air, to make the primary focus of his article - and, he took it out of the entire context of my remarks. [snip]
I am a military mom. I whine to my husband every day about how scared I am for my son and how helpless I feel to protect his body and soul. However, I never whine to my son when he is able to call between missions.
That, and only that, is my point. Of course military spouses endure fear and domestic burdens. Of course they often need emotional support and practical assistance. As I said to the reporter, and many times on my program, family services, clergy, family, friends, and the camaraderie of other military spouses are available outlets. However, burdening one’s warrior spouse with your fears, upsets, loneliness, etc., is a huge mistake as it demoralizes the warrior and thereby undermines their concentration while they are in life-death situations.
Dr. Laura, take it from the rest of us who have been ambushed: don't expect the MSM to get it right.
