My response when someone says, “Thanks for your service and protecting our freedoms.”

Military service today is not so cut and dried like it use to be. No disrespect to any of you, and such words like "thanks for protecting our freedoms," are almost always taken as polite-- and I take it that way too, for the most part. However, my mind always races to extrapolate socio and politico precepts; "protecting our freedoms?"

When we first attacked Iraq most folks really had no idea of the real threat to world peace that was beginning to jell in some parts of the world; jihad was (and is) ramping up with the drive to enact Sheria Law. I'm not so sure about the wisdom of the intellectual reasons for invading Iraq, but it did serve at least one useful purpose- Americans are now awake to the growing problem of Arab** superiority. Radical Islam, in all kinds of forms, does want to see the world united under Allah, as the Quran calls for jihad "in the way of Allah."

So, to say "thanks for your service and protecting our freedoms" does in fact have real meaning.

**From: http://www.livingislam.org/fiqhi/fiqha_e76.html
"The evidence for the superiority of Arabs can only be based on the fact that the last Revelation took place within the historical context of Arab culture. Because of that, Arabs are distinguished, just as Muslims are distinguished, but accidentally (i.e. historically) the Arabs stand in the forefront and this is from Divine favor"

I'm guessing you didn't expect me to so fully explain my thoughts about your "thank you" for my service. But I am so filled with this multi-fold attack we are now under, while at the same time we have apologetic revolutionaries controlling the White House slowly eating at America's core. I can no longer converse with anyone without bringing the subject up at least once.

And, again, I want you to know, such a thank you does have real meaning to me.