Support Our Troops (phr): Showing patriotic support for the gallant fighting men and women of the US armed forces in Iraq by wearing a flag pin and displaying a bumper sticker of appropriate sentiment, tying a yellow ribbon ’round the old oak tree and pretty much bugger-all else.
A prime example of this stellar form of patriotism is Republican Senator from Oklahoma, James Inhofe. An aggressively pro-war congressman, Inholfe felt compelled, on October 5, 2005, to cast the deciding vote that killed the popular bi-partisan Health Care for Veterans Amendment that had passed in the House 398 to 19. He then voted against the Grassley-Boxer bill that would have provided funds for mental health counseling and rehabilitation for military victims of PTSD. Indeed, Senator Inhofe’s voting record regarding active duty military service personnel has been stunning. Since 2003, in 14 roll calls involving the welfare of the military, Inhofe voted against them all 14 times. Indeed, in his zeal to save the American taxpayer money, Inhofe has voted twice against providing armored vehicles and several times against providing troops with body armor. He also voted against the Hagel amendment (H.R. 1585) to limit the length of soldier’s deployment, against health care for troops and their families, against pay protection for reservists, against an increase in death gratuity payments and voted consistently against repealing the “disabled veteran’s tax” which penalizes wounded vets who receive both disability and retirement pay.
Senator Inhofe has, however, been extremely consistent in voting for extending capital gains and dividend tax cuts for millionaires.
While many may see it as hypocritical in the extreme to be pro-war and not be pro-serviceman, Right Wing Republicans understand: patriotism is a form of political currency which, in turn, is backed by real currency in the form of campaign donations. Therefore, the rich are more patriotic than some grunt making less than twenty grand a year to catch bullets and eat dirt in Crapistan.