The Stranger's associate editor Charles Mudede commented on the Slog blog about the U.S. Army's "turnaround in recruiting" on September 9.

He seems a bit put out that the myth that the Army is having troubles attracting new recruits and retaining current soldiers has turned out to be false. He cites a "mercenary" attitude towards a "$40,000 signing bonus" as perhaps one of the reasons for the "turnaround".

The debate about Army recruiting numbers is a non-starter. There are plenty of young men and women volunteering to wear their country's uniform and soldiers re-enlisting are exceeding demands. Numbers from month to month may go up or down but the overall trend remains the same. More soldiers are currently in the Army now than prior to the September 11 attacks.

I'm actually writing to congratulate Mudede in actually growing a couple and saying what he really feels about United States military personnel; that they're mercenaries fighting in an illegal war.

You normally don't get this kind of candor when speaking to folks on the far left. They'll couch their comments with the oft flogged and PC refrain "I support the troops but don't support The War". It's like backhanding a Tickle Me Elmo doll; you know the same high-pitched line will spurt out given time.

The "support" that our troops have gotten from amongst our more vocal Progressive brethren has been somewhat counter-productive but illustrative. In April a group patriotic military supporters proposed an initiative to ban military recruiting in Seattle.

I'm always fond of the yellow "War IS Terror" bumper stickers that come as standard equipment on Volvos and Suburu station wagons in this region. If that were the case then what logically follows is that our soldiers fighting "The War" are committing acts of terror. Therefore American soldiers are terrorists.

I've got family members and friends who are active duty military or are recent vets. Most are non-political - just like the majority of young men and women - but those that are tend to be even more conservative than I am. Everyone I've spoken to feels the "support the troops, not the war" catch-phrase is a crock of Schram. Which is probably why images like this one were popular amongst our troops fighting in Mosul.

I have my hunch that the editorial board of The Stranger and most anti-war types in general don't spend a lot of time hanging out with active duty personnel. They wouldn't be caught dead throwing back a few cold ones in a bar in Roy, Spanaway, Bremerton or Whidbey Island while listening to Chris Ledoux alongside an NCO, sailor or airman. It's a shame because they'd probably learn about what is actually going on in Iraq and Afghanistan and the clear progress we've made at combating Islamic fundamentalism.

It's probably just as well that they remain inured in Seattle. Mercenaries generally get upset after you pop off about them having killed "100,000 innocent Iraqis" or some similar piece of propaganda. Try it and you'll probably be first in line for a Kiwi enema with a size 13 applicator.