the smedley log - suburban scrawl

Well, the first 20 words were sort of gracious…

There really wasn’t much to elicit a strong visceral reaction from me regarding this November’s PA-08 Congressional race. There wasn’t, until I read this. It’s Mike Fitzpatrick’s initial sucker punch for Patrick Murphy, hastily set up by less than two sentences of congratulations. Then came the nauseating phrase too many politicians with no military background like to parrot: yep, the old “cut-and-run” line.

I know the Distinguished Gentleman from my home district has a baby face, but does that mean he has to act like an eight year old? Until Fitzpatrick became the latest to trot out this pathetic schoolyard line, I harbored no ill thoughts toward him. As of this idiotic statement, respect for him is going to be much harder for me to muster.

I know people who have served overseas in various periods of conflict. Some of them display all the chest-thumping bravado of politicians like George W. Bush. Others sound a more cautious tone, eerily similar to those often accused of wanting to cut and run. I try to always respect the views of those who’ve stepped into harm’s way for this country, even when I disagree with them. Why can’t Mike Fitzpatrick do the same?

(News of the press release reached me via Jane)

Yes, this made me RATHER ill. I have a brother who served (past tense, thank god) as well as uncles, grandfather, etc. And am amazing proud of them.

And I have 2 nephews – one who is of an age that if draft were reinstated now he’d be susceptible and one a teenager. If either of them had to go, I’d like to be around this “person” (trying to keep it clean as a courtesy to you) and hear him try to justify this personally.