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Limbaugh never misses an opportunity to act like a racist pig. If you haven't been following the last few days, the Republicans are using the troops as a wedge for their budget fight.
Today, House Republicans pushed through their stopgap measure in a 247-181 vote. The bill, H.R. 1363, quickly came under fire for demanding a series of non-budget related policy riders, including an anti-abortion policy restriction banning D.C. from using its own local funds for abortions and anti-environmental restrictions to limit the EPA from regulating green house gas emissions, on top of an extra $12 billion in cuts. “With an eye to protecting themselves politically” from blame, the GOP quickly redefined H.R. 1363 today as the “troop funding bill.”
The wingnuts are making believe they are outraged by Obama's veto threat and are getting their freak on, led by Limbaugh:
LIMBAUGH: Theo, thanks for the call. If the troops are not paid by their commander in chief -- I have a question. If the troops still engage in battle, if they go to war and they execute the orders issued by their commanders, if the troops are thus not paid by their commander in chief, are they his slaves? What would you call it? Can those serving in the military just walk off the job? I don't think so. So if Obama does not sign the bill to pay his troops, then it sounds sort of like forced labor to me. I mean, it's one thing, folks -- and we can all agree on this -- it's one thing to have to pick cotton. But to be forced to risk your life overseas without being paid, that's the worst kind of forced labor to me.
Are you kidding me? How can the president of the United States, on the eve of the anniversary of the Civil War, the 150th anniversary, threaten to withhold payment to Americans who not only risk their lives for their country but are required by law to serve or face court martial after they volunteered? I believe desertion in wartime is still a capital offense. But if these wars are just kinetic military operations, maybe an unpaid warrior who walks off the job only gets jail time. Because we're not at war -- the regime won't say so. These are kinetic military actions.
It's bad enough that our troops were sent into Iraq in the first place by hook and by crook to fight Bush and Cheney's war, and they've paid a heavy price for the lies that got us into it. Why must they suffer this fool too?
