If there’s one thing Republicans like to boast about, it’s their “support” of the troops. We’ll ignore for a moment the fact that under their administrations, benefits to veterans have continually been slashed; if you really want to show your love for the troops, how about you DON’T send them into unnecessary combat?

A few days ago, Sarah Palin was on tour, and stopped by San Jose to give a speech about how much she loves soldiers, and in particular, how she felt Pat Tillman (who is from San Jose) should be God-thanked for his contribution:

“Remember to thank God every day for Pat, for his family and the thousands like him”.

Would that be his super atheist family who lambasted aging dinosaur John McCain and creepy giant-face Maria Shriver for doing exactly the same thing at his funeral? His brother Richard was particularly not amused by their comments Pat was “with God”, and said “He’s not with God, he’s fucking dead”.

It seems as though the religious right still can’t put it in their thick skulls the Tillman story was a cautionary tale of war, not a call to arms. Pat didn’t die defending his country; he died in a spray of friendly fire. Even the circumstances surrounding his death are deeply mysterious, and his family has been fighting for years (without success) to get the truth from the military that tried to use his death to sell their shitty war. They have been stonewalled ever since, a reminder like any institution, the military’s chief concern is maintaining their own power and influence.