by Skald
"When a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law, I think it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize. What makes this duty the more urgent is the fact, that the country so overrun is not our own, but ours is the invading army."
--Thoreau, commenting on America's invasion of Mexico
We have a long history of this type of behavior. So long, in fact, that I marvel at the naivety of my fellow Americans. Do these flag-waving buffoons know nothing of our history? Of foreign leaders deposed or assassinated by the CIA? Of invasions of Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Vietnam, Laos, etc..? Im stunned that there are so many idiots in this country.. who honestly believe that America invaded Iraq to "bring freedom".
The worst, in my opinion, are the soldiers who daily shoot, bomb, torture, and imprison Iraqis. We are cajoled to "support the troops", but how can a decent human being support this kind of behavior. These soldiers have a choice. They don't have to participate in this invasion. They don't have to fire a shot. They can refuse to obey orders.
The army recruits young, gullible, and desperate people. These kind of people are easier to control. They more readily buy propaganda. They dont ask too many questions.
Thoreau was right. To "support the troops" is a disgrace. Better to provoke them. Better to impress upon them their obligations as human beings... to think and make their own moral decisions.. and to accept the consequences of those decisions.
For those of us who have wisely chosen not to join the army, let us stop pretending to be loyal and supportive citizens. Let us withdraw both our support and our cooperation.
"How does it become a man to behave toward this American government to-day? I answer that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it." (Thoreau).
2 comments:
Why are you even in America? Having read your blog, it is obvious that you have no love for America. You have used a lot of big words and impressed upon folks that you are well-read (evidenced by your many quotes), but you are the BIGGEST hypocrite. Why did you not stay in your beloved Thailand (where you'd be DAMNED if you uttered a deroatory remark about the King!)?
You are JUST AS BAD as the radical right. Just because a person's lifestyle does not fall into your set of values- you deem it wrong. You insult it. You cast it off as gluttonous, selfish, & unecessary. You call me a "wage slave" because I have a tech job with a big company, health benefits, drive a gorgeous SUV.....you sound quite bitter to me. I LOVE my job. I am passionate about it. Developing code and advancing technology is like conducting a symphony or painting a really great picture to me. Education is available to everyone in this country- I paid off 60K in loans so I could get where I am. And I love it. I love living in a country where I can freely voice that I think our president is a piece of crap. I can vote. My taxes help people who do not have it as well as I do. Love it,love it, love it.
As for the topic of this post- get your head out of your ass. If I read correctly, you got fired from your job in T-land for going against the grain. Soldiers do,too, except it is quite a bit worse for them. My husband got back from a tour in Iraq last July. He is indeed one of our "best and brightest". West Point grad with honors. When one joins the military, it is almost always for: 1)love for country or 2)the amazing benefits- or both. Unfortunately, just like us worker drones- soldiers do not get to choose which orders they follow without suffering consequences. Failure to follow orders can lead to court marshals and dishonorable discharges. Either can prevent a solider from getting any sort of gainful employment- EVER. Many soldiers have families- loss of job and benefits affects more than the individual. And all this torture you speak of- the soldiers who were involved with
that are LOATHED by the other troops. LOATHED. Lindy English had to have armed escorts while at Ft. Bragg.....to protect her from other sodiers. You are a moron if you think America is just a big bully. Just like all media, you focus on the bad and run with it like a huge banner over your head to promote your own beliefs. You convieniently exclude the good the military does. Like- my husband spent 6 months in Afghanistan diffusing land mines. Did the same in Kosovo. One of his men got his legs blown off....anyone want to applaud him for helping a less fortunate country? For getting shot at while escorting civilian refugees and protecting their villiage? Nope- people like you only want to hear about the horror and use it for a soapbox. In Iraq, soldiers don't just go around attacking everything. THEY (as invaders) are attcked, and they retaliate. That is most often the case, exceptions being orders to infiltrate areas with known/suspected insurgent activity. Not many join the military expecting war. War can mess with one's head, so rather than blame troops and insult them- have compassion. These men and women are the same ones who would fight on American soil to protect it....which you would not value or understand. I think it is awfully weak to have no allegiance to anything, to be wishy-washy, just a drifter with nothing but opinions. I think you will end your life alone, unsatisfied, and with (gasp!) regrets. You need to find happiness, but you won't. Each time you get close, you will over-analyze it and turn it into more fodder for the blog or whatever your cause of the week is. Your life is NOT simple.
Looky here! You and the WBC actually have things in common:
http://www.godhatesfags.com/main/
You both hate Bush and America. You both condemn and judge. You both have huge egos and barely a leg to stand on. I think you should meet with them- try to convert one another.
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