On January 28, The Future of Freedom Foundation (FFF) vice president, Sheldon Richman, reacted to American Sniper by writing that Chris Kyle “was no hero” and that he really couldn’t see a difference between Kyle’s actions and those of Adam Lanza.
Richman, who is also the editor of FFS’s monthly journal Future of Freedom, wrote, “Despite what some people think, hero is not a synonym for competent government-hired killer.”
He then on to say “American Sniper” has opened the door to discussion and he recounted some particulars about Kyle:
Let’s recall some facts, which perhaps Eastwood thought were too obvious to need mention: Kyle was part of an invasion force: Americans went to Iraq. Iraq did not invade America or attack Americans. Dictator Saddam Hussein never even threatened to attack Americans. Contrary to what the George W. Bush administration suggested, Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Before Americans invaded Iraq, Al Qaeda was not there. Nor was it in Syria, Yemen, and Libya.
The only reason Kyle went to Iraq was that Bush/Cheney & Co. launched a war of aggression against the Iraqi people.
Richman wrote more, but you get the point.
In concluding, he questioned how conservatives can honor Kyle since “he eagerly and expertly killed whomever the government told him to kill.” Richman wants to know how killing for a government in this fashion squares with “limited government” principles or “heroism.”
Then comes the clincher:
Excuse me, but I have trouble seeing an essential difference between what Kyle did in Iraq and what Adam Lanza did at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It certainly was not heroism.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.