With the election behind us and no funny vote-counting schemes this time around, it appears that the liberal left has run out of smart-ass phrases to put on bumper stickers. It wasn't Nader's fault, there is no big brother governor in Ohio and, let's face it, it was John Kerry.
Though it's still possible to knock on the window of the car next to you at a stoplight and tell the driver that "some jerk" put a Bush-Cheney sticker on their bumper, it's just not as fun as before. Now the big craze seems to be the yellow "support our troops" magnets available at your corner pharmacy (all four of them actually).
So let's talk about supporting our troops. I'm going to save the 'if-you-want-to-protect-them-don't-send-them-to-a-freakin'-war' argument for some tree-hugging hippie (seriously, where do those guys come up with these ideas?) and offer realistic, we've-got-a-Bush-in-office-again advice.
Don't get me wrong. Letting all your Suburban-driving neighbors and the folks at Safeway know that you support our troops is great. But while you're deciding between whether to take your date to Olive Garden or the Cheesecake Factory for Valentine's Day or complaining about how it has been raining for three days, stop for a second and think about all those who have put their lives on the line so I can have the freedom to sit here in my pajamas and bitch about well-meaning citizens.
Buying a bumper sticker is only the beginning of showing support to men and women in uniform. I realize we are broke college students, but there are organizations and events you can support to help those in need.
And that doesn't just mean the troops currently engaged in Iraq and the Middle East. There are thousands of veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm suffering all around the country, either because of physical or mental ailments.
Groups such as Paralyzed Veterans of America (which for a monthly gift of $40) can help conduct more than 24,000 counseling sessions with veterans and their families. That's 10 bucks a week -- what half of us spend at Starbucks every two days.
Another option is making a one-time donation of as little as $25 at www.operationuplink.org to purchase calling cards for soldiers. They don't get free weekends and mobile-to-mobile -- the least we can do is give them some time to talk to their families. You can also donate cell phones at www.opgratitude.com and have the proceeds go to helping the troops.
If making a monetary donation is not a possibility, do the least you can do and stay informed. I wonder how many of the people with yellow ribbons on their trunks know that the war has cost us almost $155 billion (yes, that's billion) or can point to Najaf on a map?
If we are sending our fellow countrymen and women into the dangerous situations they inevitably face on a daily basis, it is our obligation to know about the conflict and not let our sense of security lull us into ignorant complacency.
And when making electoral choices, try to look past the pretty parallelism of "you're either with us or against us" and at the candidate's voting record. Increasing the amount of troops and the time they are to serve while lowering veteran care and support shouldn't be on it.
Lucia Bill is a political science and journalism sophomore. Reach her at lucia.bill@asu.edu.
