They are Volunteers

They are Volunteers, not Victims

There is a great clamor these days to “Support our troops” and “Honor our military”. Someone who questions the war is presumed to not be supporting the troops. This is the backlash from the Vietnam War era when returning military were greeted with disdain and rejection when they arrived home from combat.

Recognizing the trauma this added to the emotional burden these returning service members already carried, America seems resolved not to repeat that part of our history. After all, many were draftees and/or only went believing they were serving their country. 

The conflict in Vietnam ended but the war is still raging between hard-core military types and those who hate war. It is revenge time for the Vets who have felt abused and unappreciated all these years.  Americans will appreciate their warriors and honor them this time by-god!

But I am writing to remind everyone that every member of the US Military volunteered. It is fair to recognize that they were coerced by government agents that can sell ice to Eskimos with all sorts of false promises, and in some cases outright cash bribes, to join up, but at the end of the day, they volunteered.

Now, a person that recently emerged from under a rock may be excused from knowing about the ongoing controversy about U.S. military actions worldwide, but most folks are completely aware of the protests and public debate that has America just about evenly divided on this issue. It is unlikely that anyone has not accumulated enough information by now to take a stand, one way or the other. 

Returning to my original point, that our troops are Volunteers, not Victims. While there may be many troops that volunteered years ago, and were caught in the stop-loss gimmick to keep them in the military, many more, even most are serving because they want to. Think about this for minute, please! These are people who WANT to kill other people. They enjoy getting dressed up in soldier outfits and playing with the high tech weapons made back home by the military industrial complex that is employing their friends and family. Perhaps a few thousand innocent people will die, but this is called “Collateral Damage” – not murder. And they have VOLUNTEERED to do this. 

Even now, when it is clear that the fascist Bush regime has lied and deceived the frightened U.S. public into war and more war, about half of Americans still defend this illegal action while most of the other half cannot be bothered to care. The remnant that dares to speak out is marginalized, accused of treason, jailed, persecuted and ignored by the masses as they race from red light to red light in pursuit of the American Dream. 

These volunteers have committed crimes in YOUR name, to support YOUR petroleum addiction not mine, and they VOLUNTEERED to do it. These volunteers are the people who tortured prisoners in Afghanistan, Cuba, and Iraq to name a few and participated in the murder of 100’s of thousands of innocent civilians, voluntarily.