Via Avedon Carol, Kevin Drum seems to be missing the point that veterans are attempting to make about War And Peace, and the chickenhawks. Obviously veterans need to be clearer about what they are saying.

The group of veterans with whom I identify are not saying that you have to be a veteran to decide on military issues. We took an oath to support and defend the Constitution, and that means everyone gets to vote. Everyone’s taxes support the military, so we all have that much of a stake in any action.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not all opinions are equal. If you have a problem with your toilet, the opinion of a plumber would reasonably carry more weight than the opinion of a barber. That is not to say that the barber may not have had the problem, and knew the solution, but the odds are better that the opinion of the plumber is more informed because of his/her experience and training.

The disaster that is Iraq is not simply because the advice of the military was ignored, but the advice of the State Department was also ignored.

Teddy Roosevelt stood foursquare behind the war with Spain and when he was refused acceptance in the regular Army, he formed a volunteer regiment so he could fight it. I’m not saying that the chickenhawks should have formed a regiment to fight in Iraq, but they have made every effort not to fight in any war. If you don’t believe in the war enough to fight yourself, why should your advocacy be accepted without comment?

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My view of Thanksgiving was skewed by my Father’s attitude. Having grown up on a poultry farm, he viewed the holiday as the culmination of weeks of work “processing” dozens of turkeys to be frozen and readying a few dozen more for fresh delivery. We generally ate ham when he was alive.

Having been on my Grandfather’s farm at this time of year I can understand my Dad’s attitude: our meal was subject to interruption by people picking up a fresh turkey at the last minute. A sale is a sale when you are business for yourself.

I will be at my Mother’s for a turkey which is under the care of a nephew, his wife and my two-year-old grand nephew. As I have been working on the re-hab while they are here, I am officially “Uncle Bob the Builder”.

Thanks to NTodd I can share a link to My Dad’s favorite Thanksgiving TV show: the WKRP turkey giveaway.

Enjoy your meal and try to forget about the world’s problems for a day: they’ll still be there on Friday.