In order for Sean Hannity to justify his objection to anything and everything President Obama has ever done, he seeks like-minded people of equal plausibility and intellectual fortitude. He's very tight with the Duck Dynasty people and Ted Nugent, so we can trust his judgement, as he always seeks the most sagacious and stable Americans.
Last night Hannity interviewed Wisconsin native, Jordan Matson, an ex-Marine who served a very brief time in the military. He didn't last even one year and he never saw any active combat. After years of feeling lost and depressed, Matson decided to go help Christians in the fight against ISIS in Syria in September, 2014.
It appears to be a noble and brave cause, and it seems Matson's dedication to helping the Kurds and their allies against ISIS is commendable. However, the choice of Matson as the person most qualified to determine what constitutes U.S. foreign policy is troubling.
In November 2012, Matson was arrested for drunk driving. Pulled Matson over for running a flashing red light, Racine police reported he slurred and smelled of alcohol, when ordered to exit the car for sobriety tests the police report states,
Matson was legally drunk. Police found a handgun in his car with a single hollow-point round in the chamber. The report states,
“Officers asked Matson why he had the weapon and Matson stated that he planned to shoot himself that night.”
Per the report, Matson told the officers he’d tried to kill himself when they pulled him over. When the gun didn’t go off, he put it back in the console and waited to answer their questions.
“Matson stated that he had been depressed since he was ‘railroaded out’ of the military in 2007. He stated he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Asked why he had chosen that night to shoot himself, Matson said,
“I was upset about the election results and could not live under a socialist president.”
Since 2007,
Matson spent his time online, gaming, becoming a guild leader. He would often engage his fellow gamers in lengthy discussions.
This affinity for simulated 'combat' was a contributing factor in his decision to help the YPG (Kurds).
Once he made up his mind, it didn’t take long before Matson found Kurdish contacts online who were willing to help him get to Syria and accept him in their ranks.
It's understandable for a person who suffered from depression to find a cause to distract him from his misery and journey to distant lands for a worthy cause. However, this man's cause should not determine the strategy of the U.S. Military. Hannity baits Matson, who he explains to the Fox audience is A CHRISTIAN, to speak ill of the Commander in Chief:
"The administration says that their strategy is working, is it working?"
Matson explains our investment in the (largely Shi'ite) Iraqi army has failed and we haven't done nearly enough in Syria. Taking the bait, Jordan expressed his frustration about our lack of investment in the protection of the Kurdish people.
Hannity continued,
"Colonel North compared the strikes that the administration is using with what they used during the Surge, and he said it's like 800 to 1. In other words, that there's not a massive American use of force here, so why would we expect this policy to work? But they claimed yesterday, the White House, that their plan is working, but it's not, is it? So I mean, that's the point, They're not showing a use of force. What do you see?"
Matson reiterates that our campaign can't be working based on what he's seen.
Matson is just a man who (once?) suffered from mental illness, didn't serve in the military very long and is on a personal quest to help people who he feels need his help. So therefore, he is the one best qualified to determine our future strategy in the region?
Most Americans don't want us to entangle ourselves in this conflict any more than we are already. Besides, Republicans like Hannity are always bitching about the "deficit," yet can't wait to spend trillions on any campaign that renders our brown enemies impotent. Sean Hannity, screaming about Obama’s out of control spending wants more money for these people in the Middle East because freedom.
There are countless examples of awful atrocities inflicted on marginalized people all over the world. Why isn't Sean Hannity interested in helping the Nigerians who are brutalized by Boko Haram? After all, they are targeting Christians in Nigeria. Why doesn't he care about the Burmese Rohingya Boat People? It may likely be that these people are simply too brown to give a damn about.
