brief procrastination from nihilism in Flannery or why insurgents are more human
Why I don't support the troops, in peace time and in war time.
There's no need for me to go into the specifics of Afghanistan and Iraq, and why I don't think that the North should be in either one. And I'm also not going to go into the stereotypical pacifist : war is bad.
What i hate is the blind "support our troops" rhetoric that has overtaken the North. Why should I support the troops? The right claims that I should support them b/c they're defending democracy (roaring laughter), but the left too claims I should support them because they are victims, unfortunate pawns of right-wing agendas.
The left's rhetoric has political intent. They HAVE to say that. But I disagree with it. A soldier is never a victim of corrupt politics. A soldier is always the willing tool of corruption. You have to be pretty ethically corrupt to join the army in the first place. What kind of human being is willing to give up the personal choice to cause or not cause harm? To commit the greatest of sins (religious & humanist) should, out of all things in the world, be your own choice. By joining the army you give up that right to choose, and you become, quite literally, a potential, consciousless killer that gets paid for it.
You kill. You get paid.
You can cover it up with any jingoist national rhetoric of protecting freedom/country/etc. but what does it boil down to?
Giving up the choice.... is especially stupid if you know any basic history. Which wars in history do you feel were fully justified? If you can name more than one than kudos to you... go join the military and continue the tradition. I tend to believe that hidden agendas begin wars, and something tells me that present day and the inevitable future will be no different. Therefore you are NOT giving up the choice for you "nation"... you are giving it up for the hidden agendas of the profiteers.
I have far more support for terrorists, insurgents and militias (yes even racist redneck state militias, i find, are more human than "career soldiers"). To pick up a gun of your own volition, and not seek recompense, and follow only your own orders, or of people you know and trust (is very destructive) but far better than giving up the choice. An insurgent can always walk away if he begins to be jaded by the rhetoric that sent him to battle. He is an individual with moral capacity. A professional soldier is a tool, no more a person than the metal gun he carries... and to become that was his/her choice.
I do not support the troops.
What I support even less is the system of bad education and lack of social programs that pressure people into this killer collective.
There's no need for me to go into the specifics of Afghanistan and Iraq, and why I don't think that the North should be in either one. And I'm also not going to go into the stereotypical pacifist : war is bad.
What i hate is the blind "support our troops" rhetoric that has overtaken the North. Why should I support the troops? The right claims that I should support them b/c they're defending democracy (roaring laughter), but the left too claims I should support them because they are victims, unfortunate pawns of right-wing agendas.
The left's rhetoric has political intent. They HAVE to say that. But I disagree with it. A soldier is never a victim of corrupt politics. A soldier is always the willing tool of corruption. You have to be pretty ethically corrupt to join the army in the first place. What kind of human being is willing to give up the personal choice to cause or not cause harm? To commit the greatest of sins (religious & humanist) should, out of all things in the world, be your own choice. By joining the army you give up that right to choose, and you become, quite literally, a potential, consciousless killer that gets paid for it.
You kill. You get paid.
You can cover it up with any jingoist national rhetoric of protecting freedom/country/etc. but what does it boil down to?
Giving up the choice.... is especially stupid if you know any basic history. Which wars in history do you feel were fully justified? If you can name more than one than kudos to you... go join the military and continue the tradition. I tend to believe that hidden agendas begin wars, and something tells me that present day and the inevitable future will be no different. Therefore you are NOT giving up the choice for you "nation"... you are giving it up for the hidden agendas of the profiteers.
I have far more support for terrorists, insurgents and militias (yes even racist redneck state militias, i find, are more human than "career soldiers"). To pick up a gun of your own volition, and not seek recompense, and follow only your own orders, or of people you know and trust (is very destructive) but far better than giving up the choice. An insurgent can always walk away if he begins to be jaded by the rhetoric that sent him to battle. He is an individual with moral capacity. A professional soldier is a tool, no more a person than the metal gun he carries... and to become that was his/her choice.
I do not support the troops.
What I support even less is the system of bad education and lack of social programs that pressure people into this killer collective.