Support the Troops… Until They Speak Truth

The Handcuffs Heard Around Capitol Hill

On September 4, 2025, the United States Congress reminded us of one of its most sacred traditions: support the troops… unless they call out genocide.

Two decorated veterans—Josephine Guilbeau, a former Army intelligence officer, and Anthony Aguilar, a retired Green Beret—sat quietly in a Senate hearing until their consciences got louder than protocol. They stood up, accused Congress of complicity in the Gaza genocide, and were promptly rewarded with a pair of handcuffs.

Ah yes, freedom of speech—the kind that works best when whispered, not shouted in a hearing room. The same lawmakers who never miss a photo-op hugging veterans on Memorial Day suddenly transformed into bouncers at a nightclub: “Thanks for your service, but you’re not on the list.”

The irony? Aguilar himself once worked as a security contractor for the much-touted “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation”—which, in a twist only Hollywood could write, allegedly targeted Palestinian civilians waiting for food. When he blew the whistle, Congress pretended the soundtrack had cut out.

The Veterans Said the Quiet Part Out Loud

Let’s savor their words.

Guilbeau shouted: “We are being arrested right now… because the U.S. is complicit in genocide! They are complicit in the slaughter of babies!”

Aguilar warned: “When Congress comes after veterans, they will come after you. Every American at home needs to realize you are paying for a genocide.”

Usually, when veterans speak, lawmakers nod solemnly and bow their heads for a photo. But when veterans accuse Congress of funding slaughter, suddenly it’s: “Sergeant, please cuff the sergeant.”

The satirical tragedy here is that these veterans gave their careers to an institution that loves their service but loathes their honesty. In the U.S., veterans are celebrated as long as they fit neatly into parades, recruitment commercials, and halftime shows. But the moment they tell the truth about war crimes? Shhh. Don’t ruin the script.

And speaking of scripts, where are the so-called watchdogs? Human Rights Watch was too busy drafting another “work with civil society” memo. The Sentry? Perhaps Clooney’s scriptwriters didn’t hand in a draft for this plot twist. Safer to wag fingers at Africa than to report on veterans in chains on Capitol Hill.

Democracy in Chains (Literally)

This is America’s democracy: bold enough to bankroll bombs but fragile enough to fear two veterans with a conscience.

The symbolism is almost too poetic. Soldiers who once carried rifles for Washington are now carried out in cuffs by Washington. The message is clear: you can serve your country, but you cannot question it.

It’s the oldest playbook of empire: turn “support the troops” into a bumper sticker, while treating real truth-telling soldiers as disposable extras in a political theater.

And let’s not forget the double standard. If this happened in Eritrea, HRW and The Sentry would be tripping over themselves to release urgent reports on “repression of dissent.” But when it happens in the marble halls of D.C.? Crickets. Silence. Maybe a footnote after the next gala dinner.

So here we are: veterans in handcuffs, Congress in denial, watchdogs asleep, and the public footing the bill.

In a just world, Guilbeau and Aguilar would be honored for refusing to let silence grease the gears of genocide. Instead, they were escorted out like unruly hecklers at a bad comedy show. Only the joke’s on us—because the empire isn’t just silencing veterans. It’s silencing truth.

Support the troops? Absolutely. Just make sure they don’t actually say anything worth supporting.