I find the “chickenhawk” meme really quite annoying. I recognize the need for military action, but if I don’t personally participate in the action, I’m a hypocrite? OK, let’s go with that. So if you tell other people that, for instance, the tsunami devastated areas need relief, why the hell aren’t you quitting your job and going to Indonesia to rebuild the roads? It’s obviously not good enough to “support” the relief efforts. Hypocrites!

No, it’s not necessary to physically participate in something in order to support it, OR to prove its legitimacy. If we HAD mandatory military service would it change my opinion on the necessity of winning in Iraq? NO. Supporting the US position on Iraq doesn’t mean that I should seek out unecessary activities just to prove my virility. That’s for bullfighters.