Controversial Topic Discussion

Well, this little spiel will probably wad someone's wonderoos, so I guess it is a controversial topic.

We constantly hear people proclaim that if someone raises their voice in opposition to the war in Iraq, they do not support the troops. The first thing most dissenters do when confronted with this proposition is to state, "No. I support the troops 100%. I just don't support the war." Well, I'm not one of those type of dissenters. When confronted with the proposition that my dissent towards the Iraq war means I do not support the troops I say, "Well, of course. Why would I support troops fighting an unjust war?"

The problem I have with people claiming that they support the troops but not the war is that they are supporting people who are committing an act they think is wrong. It is, in a way, like saying I don't like rape, but I support the rapist, or perhaps more accurately, I support American rapists (not that the troops are rapists, it is an analogy not a descriptive statement). What they are doing seems to be nothing more than dogmatically adhering to the tenets of patriotism. They are tolerating behavior they find wrong simply because those involved in the behavior are from land ruled by the same government.

Say, for example, one is living in Germany in 1944. They are in all respects a regular German citizen and they also object to Germany's military action. Does the fact that one is a German mean one should support the troops even though one considers genocide to be immoral and unjust?