This news story has gotten a lot of airplay lately. It was the subject of a post that I responded to today that was subsequently deleted because some of the contributors took things a little too personally. Not having the opportunity to respond as I had wished, I have posted my remarks here, on my own page. I am sorry for its lengthiness. I know that it goes ways beyond many peoples interest or ability to pay attention...LOL!: To MK – In one sense it is impressive that your family has dutifully served “God and Country” for so many years. But in another, it is not so much. How I feel - If the conflict that they served in was justified then certainly, their service was honorable and is to be applauded. But what if the conflict was not justified? How easy or hard is it to rationalize serving your country in a cause that you know is not legitimate and cannot be justified? This may be the answer to why some of our soldiers come back home without any mental or emotional trauma, while others are unable to cope. Some find it easier to rationalize the truth, or are so brainwashed by the military system (young minds are easy to mold), they actually become true believers who never even consider questioning the legitimacy of what they are being asked to do. But then there are those whose consciences cannot be so easily conquered, whose innate sense of right and wrong cannot be overpowered by an oath that requires them to serve in an illegitimate cause. I cannot imagine the pressure and inner conflict that our young people feel when the rhyme they have been led to believe gets enlightened and replaced by reason. However, whatever the case may be (justified or not), your family, MK, has made its living supporting, and being supported by, the military/industrial complex. The old warhorse himself, Dwight Eisenhower, warned us about the ills and dangers of establishing a legislative and economic relationship with an industry that requires never ending conflict to remain solvent. The succession of conflicts (not wars) that the USA has been involved in since Vietnam (if not since WWII) seem to lend credence to his concerns, especially as the legitimacy of each of these conflicts appears to have lessened as time and conflicts have passed. The last, GOOD WAR, (one that had a real and righteous justification) that we were pulled into (not chose to engage in or start ourselves) was WWII. Since that time, our country has gone from one conflict to another with the aim of expanding markets for corporate interests (empire building) under the guise of bringing freedom and democracy to the world. In these conflicts, the only freedom that our country (our government) has been interested in has been the freedom for our corporations to conduct business in these far flung countries. Democracy (in a crude form) is only implemented to create a safe environment for American and multi-national corporate investment to take place. This is not the same kind of freedom and democracy that our country was founded upon or fought for. But it is not too far from what our country is becoming, as control of our government is incrementally sold to the highest corporate bidder, in all of its branches. So MK, you can choose to avert your eyes to prevent yourself from seeing the truth of what America has become (and who the corporate masters are that our military actually serves); you can choose to continue to embrace the jingoistic, God and Country, patriotism line that our modern day corporate fathers (and their congressional minions) want us to focus on, instead of the wholesale theft of our country that they are perpetrating; you can choose to deny that our government cares very little about who dies for the corporate dollar, as they show little regard for active duty or veteran military personnel. But I refuse to. We clearly do not share the same perception of reality. A soldier, someone’s son, a young man, made a bad “military” decision. Perhaps others died because of it. But war is hell and soldiers die for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes they die in the “glory of battle,” taking a hill from an enemy. Other times they die not so gloriously, like being hit by a truck while crossing a parade yard, or by friendly-fire, a casualty of poor communication or fear. And then some die trying to rescue one of their own who made the conscious decision to walk away from it all. To me, none of them should have died in the service of the military if the cause they were called upon to support was not a just one. Yes, war is hell. But an unjustified war is even more tormenting, especially for those who have had the blinders fall off of their eyes and have begun to see the truth of the illegitimate deeds that they have been conscripted to do. There is no honor in taking part in a dishonorable cause. This is why, since Vietnam, we have had so many of our military service members coming back home with not only physical wounds, but with mental/emotional wounds that are just as grave – especially when, in some cases, these wounds only find their resolve in suicide. Time to wake up, folks. Be a true patriot and start fighting for the freedom of our country, right here at home because here is where the battle needs to be fought. It is time to cause a shift in the balance of power. It starts with our voices being raised, utilizing every form of communication that we have at our disposal (don’t let our internet be taken away). It continues with voting with our dollars and our ballots. It is a war. And that war will require strength and perseverance if we want to win back balance and conscience and civility in this country.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 03:05:56 +0000
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