I know what I want to do with my life--end it!
Time for another rant.
The other day, I recieved a letter from everybody's favorite governmental agency, the military. Specifically, it was the marines. The letter was an action-jammed piece of stupidity that was built just to appeal to the teenage male mind. There was slight quiz (yes, I called the quiz "slight") which was not only perfectly short (so that the idiot made american youth won't let the ADD take over) but consisted of such EXTREME and vague questions as: "Do you think you have WHAT IT TAKES?!" "How do you deal with DANGER?!" "When the time comes, are you ready to FIGHT?!" Et cetera.
Needless to say, I (being the young and impressionable american youth that I am) was greatly impressed by this. But it wasn't until the last line that I read that I decided this was truly an EXTREME offer, that wasn't only badass and cool, but also good for my future. It asked me: "what do you want to do after highschool?" Well, that's a question I've been asking myself for some time, as I only have two and half years of highschool left, I'm beginning to become frantic that I have yet to choose a career (because everyone chooses what they will do forever their sophomore year). And thats when it hit me -- the marines laid it out so perfectly -- what do I want to do after highschool? Well, I want to go off to Iraq and die!
Thats right, I want to lace up my boots and hit that sweet Iraqi soil stumbling. Maybe they'll even show me how to use some of the weapons I'll be given, and show me how to pray, too, since I'm shit out of luck in the areas of ARMOR. But hey, armor never helped out a REAL MAN before. And all marines are real men. Thats why they join the MARINES!!!
I think you see where I'm going with this.
So now here we are. Last sunday, we all got to see (in all newpapers, on all channels) that the Iraqis were voting. YAY!!! THE IRAQIS ARE VOTING THE IRAQIS ARE VOTING! YAY!!! Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm glad. And *only* at the cost of about 1300 american soldiers (a number we can all expect will keep increasing) and somewhere over 100,000 iraqi casualties. Oh shit, did I say 100,000? Yup. The reason we never hear that number (except from independent news sources) is because we can't be sure of it. Its an estimate (as close as possible, though). The US broke international law by not keeping the number of casualties as the occupying power. Oops. But thats okay, cause nobody cares about Iraqis right? They're all terrorists anyway; we should just nuke 'em all and let god sort 'em out. At least thats what you'd hear if you listened to an american conservative.
But they're voting. So joy for that. They can finally taste democracy. Nevermind that their country has been destroyed and terrorists are taking over. And also nevermind that if the vote happens as is expected in the following years, massive genocide is going to ensure (legally) as the majority ethnicity out-votes the minority, and hostilities ensue. So now, at the cost of our lives, their lives, their nation, our world standing, our money, our domestic programs, and overall morale worldwide (except for the new zeal that countries which already hated the US felt), the Iraqis can vote in their own corrupt elections (as all elections are). So yay. We'll only be occupying that nation for the next half a century to make sure everything goes to plan.
So thats what I want to do after highschool! I don't want to get a job, I don't want to go to college (which the marines will oh-so-happily pay for if you manage to survive the war), I want to go to Iraq and die. But its for a worthy goal. It wasn't for WMD, like we all thought, no that was just a joke. Is it for the terrorism? Well turned out we've only made MORE terrorists, but thats okay, because Sadaam was a cruel leader...ah don't bring up the fact that we're tortuing and raping them, and demonstrating great indiscretion in who the "bad guy" is. No no, it was for the freedoms. Yay for freedom. Now the Iraqis have it. They'll be the Arab model of democracy right? Well as we bale it out time and time and time again (as we no doubt will) maybe another country will catch on and feel democracy is good for them. Just as all of western europe saw how well communism was working out for the USSR and decided to join up. Right?
Its time we as a nation faced the facts. It was all lies. It all still is. We've been screwed over in a huge way. And the only ones who care are branded radicals by the media.
Meanwhile nevermind that North Korea is still a major threat, as is Iran (maybe there was a slight spelling error on the original invasion plan?), and that they're still free as bees. Iraq is the problem! Argh! Tough guys go to Iraq! Well, according to the marines.
And that was my main point, wasn't it? Yes, so many people my age will read that same dumbed-down letter and think yes for real. Its a damn shame. More fodder for the war machine. So thankyou, to the marine corps, and the army and navy and airforce, and to you President Bush and all your ilk, thankyou for feeding another generation to war. Because thats exactly what we need.
GO AMERICA!
The other day, I recieved a letter from everybody's favorite governmental agency, the military. Specifically, it was the marines. The letter was an action-jammed piece of stupidity that was built just to appeal to the teenage male mind. There was slight quiz (yes, I called the quiz "slight") which was not only perfectly short (so that the idiot made american youth won't let the ADD take over) but consisted of such EXTREME and vague questions as: "Do you think you have WHAT IT TAKES?!" "How do you deal with DANGER?!" "When the time comes, are you ready to FIGHT?!" Et cetera.
Needless to say, I (being the young and impressionable american youth that I am) was greatly impressed by this. But it wasn't until the last line that I read that I decided this was truly an EXTREME offer, that wasn't only badass and cool, but also good for my future. It asked me: "what do you want to do after highschool?" Well, that's a question I've been asking myself for some time, as I only have two and half years of highschool left, I'm beginning to become frantic that I have yet to choose a career (because everyone chooses what they will do forever their sophomore year). And thats when it hit me -- the marines laid it out so perfectly -- what do I want to do after highschool? Well, I want to go off to Iraq and die!
Thats right, I want to lace up my boots and hit that sweet Iraqi soil stumbling. Maybe they'll even show me how to use some of the weapons I'll be given, and show me how to pray, too, since I'm shit out of luck in the areas of ARMOR. But hey, armor never helped out a REAL MAN before. And all marines are real men. Thats why they join the MARINES!!!
I think you see where I'm going with this.
So now here we are. Last sunday, we all got to see (in all newpapers, on all channels) that the Iraqis were voting. YAY!!! THE IRAQIS ARE VOTING THE IRAQIS ARE VOTING! YAY!!! Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm glad. And *only* at the cost of about 1300 american soldiers (a number we can all expect will keep increasing) and somewhere over 100,000 iraqi casualties. Oh shit, did I say 100,000? Yup. The reason we never hear that number (except from independent news sources) is because we can't be sure of it. Its an estimate (as close as possible, though). The US broke international law by not keeping the number of casualties as the occupying power. Oops. But thats okay, cause nobody cares about Iraqis right? They're all terrorists anyway; we should just nuke 'em all and let god sort 'em out. At least thats what you'd hear if you listened to an american conservative.
But they're voting. So joy for that. They can finally taste democracy. Nevermind that their country has been destroyed and terrorists are taking over. And also nevermind that if the vote happens as is expected in the following years, massive genocide is going to ensure (legally) as the majority ethnicity out-votes the minority, and hostilities ensue. So now, at the cost of our lives, their lives, their nation, our world standing, our money, our domestic programs, and overall morale worldwide (except for the new zeal that countries which already hated the US felt), the Iraqis can vote in their own corrupt elections (as all elections are). So yay. We'll only be occupying that nation for the next half a century to make sure everything goes to plan.
So thats what I want to do after highschool! I don't want to get a job, I don't want to go to college (which the marines will oh-so-happily pay for if you manage to survive the war), I want to go to Iraq and die. But its for a worthy goal. It wasn't for WMD, like we all thought, no that was just a joke. Is it for the terrorism? Well turned out we've only made MORE terrorists, but thats okay, because Sadaam was a cruel leader...ah don't bring up the fact that we're tortuing and raping them, and demonstrating great indiscretion in who the "bad guy" is. No no, it was for the freedoms. Yay for freedom. Now the Iraqis have it. They'll be the Arab model of democracy right? Well as we bale it out time and time and time again (as we no doubt will) maybe another country will catch on and feel democracy is good for them. Just as all of western europe saw how well communism was working out for the USSR and decided to join up. Right?
Its time we as a nation faced the facts. It was all lies. It all still is. We've been screwed over in a huge way. And the only ones who care are branded radicals by the media.
Meanwhile nevermind that North Korea is still a major threat, as is Iran (maybe there was a slight spelling error on the original invasion plan?), and that they're still free as bees. Iraq is the problem! Argh! Tough guys go to Iraq! Well, according to the marines.
And that was my main point, wasn't it? Yes, so many people my age will read that same dumbed-down letter and think yes for real. Its a damn shame. More fodder for the war machine. So thankyou, to the marine corps, and the army and navy and airforce, and to you President Bush and all your ilk, thankyou for feeding another generation to war. Because thats exactly what we need.
GO AMERICA!