When I was in the military and smack dab in the middle of the front line of the cold war I remember feeling very powerless in my voice as to the policies of our country. As I was watching the debate last night it dawned on me, as Bush was stating that Kerry's objections to the war were a blow to the safety of our soldiers, that when I was in, I truly appreciated civilians and politicians that could keep our leaders in line and challenge the policies they were pushing.

As a soldier, you give up your civil rights to truly voice dissent if you should disagree with the foreign policy of your country. Why would we think that the people in our military would see it as an affront for some politician to debate the right or wrong of our military actions? In the last years of my enlistment, Ronald Reagan was coming into office and making speeches saying we were going to win Armagheddon. Now, being in a nuclear sub which would be involved in the early action of such an exchange, it was a bit disheartening to think that I might actually be part of the impetus that brought about the end of the world. It was very reassuring to me to know that there were other voices in the political debate that were saying things counter to the person that seemed destined to be our next Commander in Chief.

As a member of the military, had I become political and expressed my opinion on the issue, I could've faced criminal charges under the UCMJ. Just maybe John Kerry is a voice for all those voiceless soldiers that are sitting back and finishing out their enlistments with their fingers crossed. Yeah, some of them signed up to fight the "ragheads" and avenge 9/11 but many simply got caught up in the wrong time and place. Maybe the people echoing Bush's charges might want to think about that percentage of soldiers our there that are simply in shock right now at their lot in life and appreciate that in our country we have the right to constantly challenge the ideals of our leaders.

For those that can't make that jump in logic, perhaps it's time you went to you local recruiter, signed up, and found out what it's like to be in an organization where you not only can't quit but you can't even diss the boss and....by the way....tomorrow may be your last day on Earth.