Red State Blue State

This is a map of the hometowns of troops who have died in Iraq, as of August 1 of this year. You can click on it to enlarge.

Look like any other map we know? Maybe an electoral map?

The past few weeks have seen a return of the GOP questioning the patriotism of anyone who dissents from the shockingly bungled strategy in Iraq. The truth is that there is a group out there who shares the same goals of defending America, making its citizens safe, without fucking up the whole thing through bad war planning and questionable strategies for defeating radical Islam. Those people are called the Democratic Party, and if you continue to swallow whole the 40-years-in-the-making "libruls are soft on terrorism" pabulum from the Right, you'll continue to see brave Americans dying in unnecessary wars that endanger our national security. And Democratic cities will still give up their sons and daughters to go fight in them.

DISSENT IS PATRIOTIC.

Jon Stewart said this best last night, effortlessly taking down the inanities of Christopher "Where's My Bourbon" Hitchens. It's worth watching for this exchange:

Stewart: There are reasonable disagreements in this country about the way this war has been conducted, that has nothing to do with people believing we should cut and run from the terrorists, or we should show weakness in the face of terrorism, or that we believe that we have in some way brought this upon ourselves. . .

Hitch: [Sputter]

Stewart: They believe that this war is being conducted without transparency, without credibility, and without competence...

Hitch: I'm sorry, sunshine... I just watched you ridicule the president for saying he wouldn't give timetables. . .

Stewart: No, you misunderstood why. . . . That's not why I ridiculed the president. I rediculed him because he refuses to answer questions from adults as though we were adults and falls back upon platitudes and phrases and talking points that does a disservice to the goals that he himself shares with the very people needs to convince.

Damn straight.