A Post From a Different POV
Yeah, sure, I just wrote a post about personal things, but here's a post about political things...
I've been watching Fox News today because I don't have cable down in the Eugene. And here's what I think about their poop: Fox News is the mouthpiece of the Republican party. Obviously if you already agree with me you are saying something like, "that's right," but if you don't already agree with me, you are thinking, if not saying something like, "bullshit."
But here's the thing, our country is no longer a simple nation state. Starting with the Spanish/American War, we began our seemingly inevitable slide toward empire. World War I proved that we are a power in the world and World War II gave us our empire.
I had an argument with my dad earlier today, I asserted that World War II was not a just war, but rather a war of empire. We didn't come to a conclusion in our debate. My dad believes that World War II was a just war. I don't. I went to a Catholic high school. When I was there I had to take a class called "Peace and Justice." There they taught me about the School of the Americas and Liberation Theology. They also taught me about how, since the Vietnam War, our nation has had an all volunteer military, "AVF" as far as I understand it is called; "All Volunteer Force."
Unfortunately what they taught us about...the ALL VOLUNTEER FORCE is a farce. It is a poverty draft. The military is marketed to people who want to earn a living. In fact, this evening I was watching Comedy Central and there was a Navy commercial in which a man talked about how he wanted to start a business...there was some other stuff...then low and behold, he had a business...with skyscrapers in the background. Even if that very man owns a business, as he claims, I'll bet you one hundred dollars it isn't in those buildings behind him.
This isn't an anti-military screed. No, this is an anti-system screed. I don't think the military is wrong, rather, I think the poverty draft is wrong. I think it is wrong that the decision makers in this nation don't have to even pretend to sacrifice their children. I don't pretend that this is, or ever has been, a nation of altruism, but back in the time when we had a draft, at least everyone could anticipate serving. Now though, I know I'm not going to serve. And you know you aren't going to serve. My sister doesn't have to work in a war factory, nor does my mother.
So, aside from a select few, out citizenry is divorced from the war effort. We don't have to put our lives on the line. Our friends don't have to put their lives on the line. But someone has to fight. Someone has to die. It is our nation's poor.
We put commercials on the television that appeal to people's self interest. You can get skills for your future, etc. I don't deny that is true. I'm one hundred percent sure that people who join and serve our nation's militarty get skills. But is it right to advertise an inherently selfless institution to peoples' selfish interests? I assert that it isn't.
I think that we need to reinstitute the draft, but with the added option of civil service. In my America, you have the option of serving in the military for one year or in the civil service for two years. I'm sure most people will choose the civil service at this point in time. I don't think that is because most people are inherently unpatriotic, rather that most people understand that we are up to our necks in middle eastern shit. Once we finally realize it isn't in our interest to fight over there, we'll all be better off.
I have a cousin who is in the AFROTC and on his mission right now. A year or so ago we were talking and he said that he hoped we'd be out of Iraq by the time he is in active duty. I hope we are too. But I don't believe that we'll be done with the ramifications from Iraq.
I think the most important thing to remember about our so called "War on Terrorism" is that it is a political struggle. They aren't evil. We aren't righteous. It is a war just like any other.
War has always been political.
Even when people hijack airplanes and ram them into our skyscrapers, it is still political. The people we are fighting against are people, not the devil. That is extraordinarily important to remember.
