As the media coverage of the war in Iraq turns ever more ugly and negative, the slogans of the anti-war movement are becoming a part of our daily lives. “Support the troops, bring them home,” “support the troops, end the war.” These are phrases we are bombarded with every time we turn on the nightly news or pick up a mainstream media newspaper. Both aides of the war debate claim to support our troops and an appreciation for our service members and the service they give always precedes political statements form both sides of the war debate. But can you really support the troops while opposing their mission?

Personally, I believe there is a way to engage in thoughtful debate on the war while still supporting our service members. But in order to reach that point, anti-war activists must first acknowledge that they have at times crossed the line with their outrageous sound bytes and demonstrations. It is one thing to speak out against the politics of the war, it is another to disrespect and insult our troops and their families in a shameless bid for attention.

I know there are those who will read that above paragraph and claim that no such inappropriate acts have taken place. But I will point such critics to Rosie O’Donnell’s rude and truly disgusting recent remarks where she essentially called our troops terrorists. Then there is Presidential hopeful John Edwards and his plans to turn Memorial Day, a day meant to honor our fallen service members, into a day of anti-war activism. And also on Memorial Day, graves of fallen troops in Washington were defaced when they flags place don’t he graves were burned and replaced with swastikas. Then there is the now infamous banner held aloft by anti-war activists at a parade in San Francisco that read “We support our troops when they shoot their officers.”

Can you support the troops and still speak out against the war? Yes. It is our right and our responsibility as Americans to express our beliefs and our opinions. It is our Constitutional right to assemble, to protest and to speak our minds. But let us never forget that our troops and their families are watching and listening. Hopefully we have learned from our mistakes in the way our Vietnam vets were treated when they returned from war. Our troops did not choose the war, they only chose to serve.