Vicarious Courage on Syria by Jacob G. Hornberger!
(2019-10-21 at 14:46:13 )

Vicarious Courage on Syria by Jacob G. Hornberger

Max Boot is a conservative commentator who is also an interventionist. (Or am I being redundant?) Mr. Boot favored the Iraq War, before he later turned against it when he saw what a fiasco it turned out to be.

He also favored the war on Afghanistan.

Today, like other Republicans and Democrats, he is criticizing President Trump for "betraying" the Kurds by relocating 50 United States troops who were serving as sacrificial tripwires to deter Turkey from attacking the Kurds.

The question I have for Mr. Boot, along with all other Republican and Democratic interventionists, is: Why do you yourself not go to Syria and help out the Kurds?

After all, it is easy to be brave, courageous, compassionate, and loyal to the Kurds when it is someone else who is doing the killing and dying. It is not as easy to display such traits when it is you, the interventionist, who is doing the killing and dying.

Now, I know what Mr. Boot would say.

He would say, "Jacob, I am 50 years old. This is war. That is something for young people, not for people of my age. I need to stay here and write my commentaries explaining "we" should help the Kurds."

But a story in yesterdays Washington Post blows that age argument right out of the water.

The story is about a Hollywood actor named Michael Enright who is a British citizen. Like Mr. Boot and other interventionists, he was concerned about the plight of the Kurds.

Unlike Mr. Boot and other interventionists, he decided to put his money where his mouth is.

Mr. Enright bought a plane ticket, bought some war gear, packed his bags, and headed to Syria.

He joined up with the Kurds, who gave him an AK-47 and trained him how to use it. He then engaged in many life-risking firefights against ISIS enemies.

Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that Mr. Enright is about 19-20 years old.

Not so!

Mr. Enright is 50 years old. That is the same age as Max Boot!

So if Mr. Enright can go to Syria to help the Kurds, why can not Mr. Boot?

Why does Mr. Boot settle for pleading with President Trump to send United States soldiers to kill and die for the Kurds when he (Boot) is not willing to do so, as Mr. Enright was?

One interesting aspect of Mr. Enrights experience is that he now has an expired visa and United States officials will not let him back into the United States to resume his acting career in Hollywood.

It is not yet clear why they are taking that position given that he was fighting one of the United States national-security establishments many official enemies - in this case, ISIS, the official enemy that was brought into existence as a result of the United States governments invasion of Iraq.

Mr. Enright is staying in Belize and running out of money while he waits to be permitted to reenter the United States.

How about it, Mr. Boot?

Are you willing to do what Mr. Enright has done?

Are you willing to go to Syria, as he did, and help the Kurds?

Why not?

What is your excuse?

Why is your 50-year-old life more valuable than the life of a 21-year-old soldier with a wife and three kids?

Why not lead by example by helping the Kurds yourself rather than pleading with President Trump to send United States soldiers to do the fighting for you?

Reprinted here with permission from Mr. Jacob G. Hornberger of The Future of Freedom Foundation!! Their Great Website!!