by Ivan Eland

Independent Institute

08/23/04

As the 21st century dawns, Americans have come to define patriotism as uncritical support of war and the military. In this year's presidential campaign, John Kerry touts his war exploits in Vietnam, and those with connections to George W. Bush try to rewrite this history decades later. The president dresses up in military garb and lands on an aircraft carrier, pretending to be a war hero to make people forget that he avoided the danger of conflict years earlier. ... The profligate use of the war metaphor in unrelated matters demonstrates that the glorification of war runs deep in contemporary America...

http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1346


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp