Let's nip this bullpuckey in the bud, my friends.

There's a particularly objectionable idea that's been running around the Internet since we first went to war on the evil Islamic terrorists that want nothing but to destroy our God given way of life.  And this meme has recently resurfaced, after I thought it had long since been safely blown away by a designated firing squad and buried without a marker.  Yet recently it resurfaced.  When Jesse "the Body" Ventura called out Fox News commentator Brian Kilmeade live in prime time, this whole ugly thing clawed its way out of the grave.  And I'm here to whack the danged thing with a shovel and cover it back up again, by gum.

While young conservative hero Kilmeade was righteously and rightfully calling "the Body" on all the nonsense that "the Mouth" has been spewing lately about how we should play all namby pamby with enemies of our nation and not torture anyone even when there is clearly a ticking bomb ready and waiting to go off if we don't get the information to defuse it in time, Ventura came back with what can only be characterized as a vicious slur.  A cheap shot, a low blow.  While Mr. Kilmeade was making Mr. Ventura look like the empty bag of wind he is, Mr. Ventura demanded to know when Mr. Kilmeade was going to enlist in the armed forces.

Mr. Kilmeade responded, as any thinking person would, with outrage to this completely inapropros comment:  "What, you want me to enlist?  You don't like our armed forces the way they are?" 

Mr. Ventura ignored that response, as he had to, lest he admit that indeed, he had just treasonously questioned the fitness of our standing military to carry forward the War on Terror without the active enlistment of civilians whose duty clearly lies elsewhere.  Instead, Mr. Ventura blustered: "Walk the walk, don't talk the talk."  To this, the righteously angered Mr. Kilmeade asked the most intelligent question of the entire exchange -- "What, I can't fight for American unless I'm in the military?"

This nonsense all began back when we first started preparing for the War on Terror.  Throughout the liberal blogosphere, a particularly vicous and cowardly meme sprang up -- that those who supported the war effort and our troops most vociferously were 'chickenhawks' if they did not immediately go volunteer for active combat duty themselves.  And this spiteful, mean spirited, completely illogical and foolish characterization spread like wildfire.  Soon a decent, upright, God fearing, patriotic American citizen didn't dare speak up in support of our righteous War on Terror or our brave heroic soldiers prosecuting it without having fingers pointed and names called.  "Oh, if you're such a big war supporter, why aren't YOU in uniform?" the fruity left would sneer hurtfully.  "When are you shipping out to Baghdad?  Where's your rucksack and rifle, hero?  Is it hard to shoot terrorists without dropping your bag of Cheetos, Rambo?"

It was typical of the kind of childish incivility that lives long and prospers only to the left of the American political mainstream. 

But we thought it had been laid to rest when a brilliant conservative blogger, I think maybe it was Dean Esmay or possibly Jonah Goldberg, showed this scurrilous nonsense up for the stupidity it was.  After all, as whoever it was pointed out, just because I believe burning buildings are a bad thing and I want fires to be put out, that doesn't obligate me to join the Fire Department.  My opposition to street crime doesn't morally require me to become a police officer.  I support the brave men and women who willingly shoulder those duties, of course I do.  But my taxes pay for those things, and I'm happy to pay them (or was, before my taxes started being used to turn our American way of life into a socialist nightmare, thank you very much). 

So just because I support the War on Terror, just because I lustily cheer for the invasion of enemy countries and root for American troops and American CIA agents to use whatever means necessary to safeguard our great country, just because I denounce everybody who isn't completely behind our military efforts as traitors and weaklings, none of this obligates me to become a soldier.  And the fact that I choose not to enlist doesn't make me a coward or a hypocrite.  I can support the war in different ways.    With my taxes, and a magnetic sticker on my SUV, and my blog, and my lapel pin. 

Like Brian Kilmeade, I can speak out for America without wearing America's uniform.  I can fight for America without being a member of the American military.  There is ample historical precedent for this.  In World War II, not everybody was in the military.  Sure, every man jack who was fit for military service joined up because they knew it was their patriotic duty, but, I mean, look at that wonderfully Christian and patriotic movie IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.  George Bailey never fought in WWII, but as the narrative said, "he fought the Battle of Bedford Falls".   And if he had never lived, his brother would never have been able to save the life of every man aboard a Naval transport!  Just by being alive, George Bailey served his country and fought for America, in a way every bit as meaningful as any of those others who enlisted and went off to war.  In fact, George should have gotten that medal at the end of the movie, not Harry.  We all know George was the real hero. 

In all of our wars there have been men and women, strong, fit, healthy, patriotic, God fearing, Christian men and women, who have fought for their country in ways besides serving in the military.  You can make many vital war contributions from behind a desk or a pulpit.   Sometimes 'talking the talk' is incredibly important, too.  If everybody heads off to the front lines, who will stay at home to support the troops?  It's not like those liberal war protesters ever enlisted, either, so who are they to point fingers and call anyone else hypocrites?

Men like Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Brian Kilmeade... these are warriors and soldiers in the War on Terror, but in a different way.  They are warriors of words, soldiers of the keyboard and the TV screen.  But these too are vital roles, roles that only men of courage and vision and charisma and the most eminent masculinity can play.  Our troops fight the War on Terror, but our conservative media members fight an even more important battle every hour of every day for several hours, several days a week... they fight the War on Liberalism.  The War on Socialism.  The War Against Creeping  Hippie Softheaded Subversiveness, right here in our own backyard.   And it's important... it's vital!  Someone has to do it.  Someone has to step up!  It's a tough job, it's a real grind sometimes, they don't get paid much money and there isn't a lot of glory the money and the fame really don't mean anything to these men.  Like gladiators of old, they strap on their swords and their shields and they head into the arena every single day.  Not for themselves.  But for America!  The America of Francis Scott Key and George Washington, of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.  For your America, and for mine... the America of concerned parents and dutiful teachers, pious pastors and helpful neighbors, the America where everybody does their bit, whether they're in uniform or not... the America that the godless atheist hippie socialist freaks are trying to tear down, bit by bit, vote by vote.

I believe that every patriotic American, every resident of America who merits the term 'citizen', has a patriotic duty to support the war and our military and to do everything in their power to safeguard our liberties and our way of life.  But for different people that means different things.  For the poor and the jobless, yes, it means joining the military.  But for the employed American with higher education, there are other opportunities to serve.   And yes, you can speak out for America without enlisting in the military; yes, you can fight for America without wearing a uniform.  George Bailey did. Captain America does.  And so do Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Brian Kilmeade.

God bless these warriors of the homefront.  We've never needed them more than we need them now.   And I, for one, am deeply grateful they are on our side.  As they surely are.  Can you left-wing dissident socialist America haters say the same?

I thought not.