This diary entry came about as I pondered why more people are not protesting against the neo-colonial occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. There is a pattern of lying that I thought regular citizens could easily see through in this day and age but our government brainwashing apparently runs much deeper.
War Is Hell
By Askari Ali
For those of us fortunate enough to not have experienced a military occupation against our countries or serve as a war time soldier, "War is hell" is a cliché. For those who have been the victims of occupation/colonization and the endless conflicts that arise from that violence, it is a horrifying reality from which they cannot escape. There are a few other clichés about war that are equally troubling such as "war is inevitable" and "war drives the economy." It is our very acceptance of these phrases that has created a reality where mass murder across the globe does not trouble us as much as gays wanting to get married or serve openly in the very institution that enforces deadly U.S. policy on foreign nations.
After re-reading the text of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, Beyond Vietnam: Breaking The Silence, I realized the comfort and peace that I enjoy living in America comes at the cost of countless lives of people on other continents whose existence and demise barely registered in my consciousness until now. I attribute my insensitivity to how our government sells us on war. The pop culture justification the public is presented with when making the case to "go to war" invariably is based on the premise that the United States is a force for good in the world and defends the principles of freedom and democracy. What rational person would argue against such a stand? Who would not admire such lofty ambitions? However, a TRULY rational person would question how bombs and bullets directed at a civilian population will gain them freedom and democracy. Dr. King raised those questions and more in 1967 yet, it still took another eight years until the last American soldier was evacuated from Vietnam despite widespread protests.
My fellow Americans, you have been sold a false bill of goods. It is so much easier to toss away your common sense and compassion and believe that you live in "the greatest country on Earth." Our education and media systems deliberately gloss over global slavery, theft of natural resources, and the wanton massacre of indigenous people who inhabit what is referred to as the "Third World." Sadly enough, many of us don’t want to know the real truth about the oppressive nature of imperialist nations such as the United States, England, France, China, Japan, Russia, etc. Certainly for citizens of western nations, it is far easier to luxuriate inside the safety of empire than to languish outside defending freedom and natural resources that the empire seeks to claim for itself.
From Vietnam to Iraq, the same lying tactics have been used to rain destruction upon countries that have something multi-national corporations deem desirable. We can no longer sit idly by as everyday citizens are recruited into military service and turned into monsters as they do the bidding of these corporations who control our puppet governments. Imagine that the safety you take for granted is suddenly threatened because there are natural resources or advantageous military positioning that another country wants for itself. Imagine that you and your fellow countrymen fight valiantly against the invasion only to have your efforts characterized as terrorism or insurgency by the media to the whole world. Imagine that you are hopelessly overpowered by military might that mows you down even if you are a civilian non-combatant. Imagine that no one had sympathy for your plight while you wasted away in a prison cell being tortured and incarcerated indefinitely without any formal charges being filed. Imagine that the one country that is known for its defense of freedom and democracy declares your country a threat to its national security even though there is no proof to substantiate that claim. From Vietnam to Iraq and beyond, people don’t have to imagine these scenarios -- they live them daily courtesy of U. S. foreign policy.
What we fail to realize in the sensationalism and deception of war is that the everyday citizens who wield no political or military power are always the ones offered up as cannon fodder for their own alleged liberation and/or to protect their freedoms. Humanity, how can we continue to claim that we are the superior life form on this planet when we continue to oppress and slaughter one another based on lies that our fearful, corrupt and greedy business and political leaders manufacture? We have repeatedly operated from a place of brute force until we actually believe the old saying, "might makes right." Those of us who live in so-called western civilization will someday have to face the consequences of our arrogance, apathy and gullibility when the horrors our military forces inflict on other nations seeking their independence are turned against us. Even now, we have the opportunity to learn via WikiLeaks how our governments are perpetuating the suffering of people across the globe while betraying the welfare of their own citizens. Yet, we are so brainwashed that many people are actually calling for Julian Assange and Bradley Manning to be killed for treason. Are we that much in denial about the dubious activities of our governments or are we that bloodthirsty and twisted that we want to kill people who are trying to free our minds from the lies we are fed daily?
Make no mistake, war is the singularly most destructive concept that humanity has created. As long as we continue to believe that everyday people we don’t know and who don’t know us are a threat just because our governments say so, we are rushing headlong into extinction. How can we call ourselves civilized when we keep resorting to oppression and mass murder instead of human cooperation and compassion? The power is in the hands of citizens like you and I to become educated and resist the lies that lead us into war against our fellow man.