veteran's day is nothing to celebrate
here's another emotionally charged topic on an emotionally charged day. maybe not the best time to bring it up, but i'll try to be polite and not as aggressive as i've been in the past. it's an important idea and people need to give it a fair shake.
when it comes to the military, many of us have relatives and friends who are or have been involved in it. for me, my grandfather was a POW in WW2, my dad was a reservist and so was i, so i have the same kind of exposure to the military (maybe more) as many others. of course, because we are all taught to love and respect military service and the soldiers who are involved, the subject has a much more emotional rather than logical overtone. people will yell and scream if any resistance to the idea of military worship is questioned, regardless of the fact that the argument (if you can call such things "arguments") has little logical merit, but instead usually consists of cliches and platitudes with little supporting reasoning.
first, the military is supported by various means, the main ones being taxation and inflation. inflation is the theft of the value of your money, without your consent. taxation is the theft of your money directly; it is taken from you, by threat, without your consent. this is not, by any definition, freedom.
secondly, it is questionable as to whether the military actually defends the country at all. the united states has not been invaded in nearly 200 years. since then, it has been involved in many foreign conflicts, most, if not all have been unnecessary for the security of the united states. in world wars 1 and 2, vietnam, iraq 1 and 2, afganistan, grenada, korea, etc., there was no direct threat to the united states. during the pearl harbor, uss cole, and khobar towers incidents, the military was unable to protect itself, much less the u.s. mainland. during the terrorist attacks of 2001, the military was unable to protect americans at home.
considering the massive and forced funding of the military, it has a less than stellar record of effectiveness, which is to be expected of a purely socialist enterprise. yes, socialist. socialism is the titled state control of the means of production. the state holds titled control over the means of production in "defense". therefore, the military is a socialist institution.
the cliches would have you believe that the military is necessary for maintaining the freedom of americans. this blog is based on the idea that americans are not free at all. virtually all of the posts here will reflect that issue. considering that the military is funded by force might lead one to believe that the military is, in fact, a detriment to freedom rather than a support. this doesn't include the impact of military actions abroad, on civilian populations. because of the wide and indiscriminate nature of warfare, the populations directly affected by military operations are much less free.
hang with me here. it gets worse, but then it gets better.
concerning the indiscriminate nature of war: any action that knowingly results in the death of innocent people is murder. therefore, war involves massive amounts of murder. the military is funded by theft in order to finance murder. that is in opposition to freedom on every level.
but veteran's day is not so much about military adventurism, but about the people who participated in it. these aren't bad people. in fact, many of them are probably some of the best people society has to offer. unfortunately, sadly, these people were duped by the propaganda that their participation in the military is the highest nobility achievable. what's sad is that they give so much to a cause that they are led to believe is great and noble, but is, in fact, evil. my grandfather spent 9 months in a german prison camp after his A-10 was shot down over germany in WW2. he went into the camp weighing 160 lbs and escaped weighing 95 lbs. not to mention the millions of americans who were killed in the united states' unnecessary involvement in this war - what a terrible price to pay - for what?
veteran's day should be a time of mourning for all of those killed or injured in the myriad military adventures of the u.s. government. it should be a day to reflect on the evils of the state and those whose lives were ended or negatively altered by the tragedy of war.
don't celebrate veteran's day. instead, think of the evil of government and the sad reality of the great people who have been lost in something as useless and wrong as the military - especially when they could have lived up to their potential in the productive and peaceful sector. encourage current members not to reenlist and discourage others from enlisting. save your friends, family and even strangers from the evils of military participation.
when it comes to the military, many of us have relatives and friends who are or have been involved in it. for me, my grandfather was a POW in WW2, my dad was a reservist and so was i, so i have the same kind of exposure to the military (maybe more) as many others. of course, because we are all taught to love and respect military service and the soldiers who are involved, the subject has a much more emotional rather than logical overtone. people will yell and scream if any resistance to the idea of military worship is questioned, regardless of the fact that the argument (if you can call such things "arguments") has little logical merit, but instead usually consists of cliches and platitudes with little supporting reasoning.
first, the military is supported by various means, the main ones being taxation and inflation. inflation is the theft of the value of your money, without your consent. taxation is the theft of your money directly; it is taken from you, by threat, without your consent. this is not, by any definition, freedom.
secondly, it is questionable as to whether the military actually defends the country at all. the united states has not been invaded in nearly 200 years. since then, it has been involved in many foreign conflicts, most, if not all have been unnecessary for the security of the united states. in world wars 1 and 2, vietnam, iraq 1 and 2, afganistan, grenada, korea, etc., there was no direct threat to the united states. during the pearl harbor, uss cole, and khobar towers incidents, the military was unable to protect itself, much less the u.s. mainland. during the terrorist attacks of 2001, the military was unable to protect americans at home.
considering the massive and forced funding of the military, it has a less than stellar record of effectiveness, which is to be expected of a purely socialist enterprise. yes, socialist. socialism is the titled state control of the means of production. the state holds titled control over the means of production in "defense". therefore, the military is a socialist institution.
the cliches would have you believe that the military is necessary for maintaining the freedom of americans. this blog is based on the idea that americans are not free at all. virtually all of the posts here will reflect that issue. considering that the military is funded by force might lead one to believe that the military is, in fact, a detriment to freedom rather than a support. this doesn't include the impact of military actions abroad, on civilian populations. because of the wide and indiscriminate nature of warfare, the populations directly affected by military operations are much less free.
hang with me here. it gets worse, but then it gets better.
concerning the indiscriminate nature of war: any action that knowingly results in the death of innocent people is murder. therefore, war involves massive amounts of murder. the military is funded by theft in order to finance murder. that is in opposition to freedom on every level.
but veteran's day is not so much about military adventurism, but about the people who participated in it. these aren't bad people. in fact, many of them are probably some of the best people society has to offer. unfortunately, sadly, these people were duped by the propaganda that their participation in the military is the highest nobility achievable. what's sad is that they give so much to a cause that they are led to believe is great and noble, but is, in fact, evil. my grandfather spent 9 months in a german prison camp after his A-10 was shot down over germany in WW2. he went into the camp weighing 160 lbs and escaped weighing 95 lbs. not to mention the millions of americans who were killed in the united states' unnecessary involvement in this war - what a terrible price to pay - for what?
veteran's day should be a time of mourning for all of those killed or injured in the myriad military adventures of the u.s. government. it should be a day to reflect on the evils of the state and those whose lives were ended or negatively altered by the tragedy of war.
don't celebrate veteran's day. instead, think of the evil of government and the sad reality of the great people who have been lost in something as useless and wrong as the military - especially when they could have lived up to their potential in the productive and peaceful sector. encourage current members not to reenlist and discourage others from enlisting. save your friends, family and even strangers from the evils of military participation.
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