Yesterday being the celebration of our nation's founding, I was led to start thinking about the nature of patriotism and why we, as citizens, should be supporting our troops. And, I believe that I have found the answer:
Because they were sent there by us.
Now, some might say, "Hey, I never wanted us to go into Iraq. I didn't ask them to go there". And, out of context, the vast majority of kossacks would probably agree with that sentiment. Others (although a signficantly smaller percentage) might express the same view with regards to Afghanistan.
But those views are really irrelevant as to why we support them. I'll explain why after the jump.
We live in a representative democracy in which our elected officials are authorized by us, as a people, to act on our behalf. That includes a whole multitude of actions, but the most serious is the question of sending our troops off to war. We expect that they will make those decisions wisely. Sometimes, as with Irag, they are not.
But the important point here, is that we are not discussing the wisdom of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The decisions to send our troops into battle was made by our elected leaders -- and any opprobrium for making that decision should be directed to those leaders and not towards the troops.
We have an all-volunteer military. No conscription (and the wisdom of that is a subject for another day---NOT for this diary), just people who signed up of their own free will. Oh, maybe they were motivated by economic need, or, perhaps, by a desire for training, or even by their love of their country. In the vast majority of cases (and I have known many US servicemen-and-women), it is a combination of all three factors. But, regardless of their motives for joining, they do not get to decide where they go. They go where they are told to go. And now, they are far away from home and from their families. And, they need our support.
Now, some would say that the best way to support the troops would be to bring them home. I agree with the sentiment and urge all to contact their elected representatives to help bring them home as soon as possible. BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS DIARY IS ABOUT. It is about some direct, grass roots support for the individual servicemember. That is the other way in which we can support them -- by showing the individual servicemember (and his or her buddies) that the people back here support them and wish them well. Even if we don't like their mission, we can show them we appreciate that they represent us. We can show them that we support THEM and that we appreciate that they have been wrenched away from their families to represent us. So, please donate.
Our goal for Netroots For The Troops 2009 is $50,000.00 (cash or in-kind donations).
PLEASE DONATE HERE
We realize that you would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. The Pittsburgh Convention Center is a union shop so we have more stringent rules that need to be followed. Instead, we will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from YOU to purchase items for the care packages this year.
Here’s how YOU can help:
1. Please contact TexDem or VeloVixen if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate in-kind donations. To help you think of companies who could donate products, see below* for a list of potential items. Put your thinking caps on and let us hear from you. It takes time to get through the corporate processes so we need to hear from you ASAP!
2. We are accepting cash from individuals and beg ask that you DONATE HERE to contribute to this worthy cause. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay the costs of shipping them to our troops. This year your donations will be tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and their partner Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a California 501(c)3 corporation.
3. Sign up for a diary! Our goal is to post two diaries per day until NN09. That’s a lot of diaries! Don’t worry---we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction telling us why you are donating, sharing a story of someone you know who has served or is serving, or any other thing you want to share that might help motivate others to donate. Please contact VeloVixen if you are interested in posting a diary.
4. Do you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email a request to: NFTT.request@gmail.com before July 31, 2009.
Please include all of the following information. Unfortunately we will not be able to process any incomplete requests:
Rank:
Last name:
First name:
APO Address Line 1:
APO Address Line 2:
APO Address Zip:
5. Write letters to be included in the packages! Our own jlms qkw is collecting the letters and will print them out and bring them to Pittsburgh. Just email your letter to her jlms_qkw@yahoo.com. Look for more information from jlms qkw soon. If you need some ideas, rbutters wrote an excellent diary with tips on how to write letters to troops and why it’s so important to them.
6. Help us assemble the packages in Pittsburgh. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Pittsburgh and would like to help there.
7. Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
___________________
*The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Pittsburgh.)
* Baby wipes
* Mechanix gloves
* Language translation books or CDs (Rosetta Stone as an example)
* LED flashlights
* Gel shoe insoles
* Goop Cleaning Gel
* Powdered energy drinks
* Gel energy food packets
* DVDs and CDs
* Letters to the soldiers
* More suggestions coming soon
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN09, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books for Soldiers Website. It is run by DKos's very own StormBear and is a great resource for giving.
Important Note about Successful Online Donations
PLEASE DONATE HERE
When you make your online donation, the screen indicates that you are donating to Netroots Nation. This is the right screen! Rest assured all donations WILL go to NFTT. If you wish, feel free to use the comment area provided to note that your donation is intended for Netroots For The Troops. It isn’t necessary to do this however, as this is the only fundraising activity being conducted for Netroots Nation at this time. For further information about online donations, please read TexDem's diary on the subject.