For those of you expecting a diary with pretty pics of candles or flowers or pics of clean shaven pretty Americans or swarthy, de-constructed Iraqis killed because of this illegal war, I'm sorry. I don't have those.
But I don't need to.
The fact is, you know that this war is the problem.
The WAR is illegal.
Our participation in the war is the moral problem.
Our continued funding of military bombings, of ammunition for troops who kill our name and with our money (or rather, China's money), is the problem.
Our willingess to believe that the American soldiers who have died and continue to die, do so for us or for our freedoms and not, say, for the war machine, is the problem.
When are Americans going to realize that:
while many American families may be starving for money, the blood money that the military provides for a commitment to kill in the name of the United States, will always be that: Blood Money. No guarantee of higher education, of skills training, can be balanced against that.
There are many ways to give back to America.
You don't have to strap on a gun, take orders blindly, and go kill for Uncle Sam to be a loyal American. Look at what teachers do, or nurses, or fire fighters. There's a whole host of careers and professions and vocations that we don't recognize as alternatives to military service, all of which could instead be funded by the money that we're instead squandering to perpetuate the war machine. Teachers don't come back with traumatic brain injuries, limbs blown off, PTSD. They don't come back and become a burden to the rest of society.
Why don't we invest in infrastructure and a parallel training program that teaches our young people discipline and skills and gives them knowledge?
Why don't we encourage currently enlisted soldiers to refuse deployment, much as Ehren Watada did? Soldiers lack a support network, economic and legal, and are placed in a morally unenviable position to fulfill their commitment (and kill innocent people) or serve their conscience and resist being told what to do.
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It's amazing to see what a group of free-thinkers the responders to this diary are. The reverence you hold for the "IGTNT" label is sad. If you took one tenth of the rage that you feel and channeled it into fighting further deployment of your loved ones (and the murder of innocent Iraqis), maybe this war might be truncated. But no. You can't handle hearing the fact that some people are pissed off at the American military and don't see their deaths as a sacrifice "for america." These military members aren't fulfilling their "oath to America." They're temporarily fulfilling a role that the military-industrial complex has reserved for them, namely, that of the 'muscle' required to extract the resources from other people. Anyone dumb enough to think that our foreign policy is guided by morality and not by avarice or self-interest has no understanding of history. Or of "country."
I'm pissed off that my tax dollars go to support not only the illegal war and the bombs, but also the medical help for those who decided to stick with the military and go overseas to fight this war of choice.
Most of you will never see that. You're blinded by rage. It's that ignorance that will cause you to stand impotent as your loved ones are separated from you.
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All you hyperventilating patriots can relax, Misslaura removed the IGTNT tag and I will respect that. Such rabid nonthinking hyperemotional comments like the ones below guarantee that America will continue to spend its money and its young people on creating hate around the world. Keep it up, patriots. Keep telling your kids how great it is to die and kill for America, Incorporated. And wave those flags harder! And weep every time the national anthem is played or a soldier dies, but dont you dare ever stand up and REFUSE to kill for the war machine. That would be treasonous. And cowardly. And unamerican. Don't question orders. Don't study history. And don't worry: There won't be ANY repercussions for the million or so dead Iraqis since our invasion. Everyone will love us for our freedoms. /snark