This page was last updated on January 12, 2010.
Put up or shut up; Editorial; Beaver County Times; January 12, 2010.
As most Times editorials, this is a regurgitation of previous efforts. “A call to arms” is an example of previous editorials longing for a draft. As for “sunshine patriots,” at least 10 editorials since 2004 have talked about “summer soldiers” or “sunshine patriots.” I believe the most recent previous example was “If not now, when?”
As for the editorial’s “concern” for our “men and women in the U.S. military,” please read my critique of “Troop support?”
The editorial says, “That’s why one reaction to the failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day deserves further attention - the calls in some circles, mainly by right-wing populists, for the United States to have a combat presence in Yemen. These people need a reality check.” Maybe I hear the wrong “right-wing populists,” but I haven’t heard anyone call for “the United States to have a combat presence in Yemen.” This appears to be an example of the straw man technique. That is, accuse someone of doing or saying something they didn’t do/say and then attack them for it. You’ll note the editorial didn’t name names to support its claim.
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