Equal time.

I've spent so much time gleefully slinging mud at the particularly stupid celebrity anti-war front, it's only fair that I acknowledge the celebrities who support the troops, like Sean Astin. [Link via Andrea Harris.] I knew Astin had done a USO tour in the middle east at Christmas, but what I didn't realize was that he has served as a civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army since 1995.

"There's a lot of different people and voices in America, and I don't mind letting my voice be heard," Astin said during an interview conducted at the Pentagon. "I learned from reading about Vietnam that no matter what you think politically about certain deployments, as a good citizen and a patriot it's your duty to appreciate that there are soldiers using their lives on your behalf as a citizen."

There's no mention of whether Astin support the idea of war against Iraq, but at least he fully supports the troops and recognizes that the primary burden of protecting our way of life lies with them, and that's all I think I can reasonably ask. Sean Astin has my utmost respect.