October 7 will mark the tenth year that the United States has been involved in the war in Afghanistan. 1,800 U.S. soldiers are dead, and the rate of casualties has been increasing. Does anyone care?
I know there are lots of arguments about the justification for the war, and some of them are, or at least were at one time, valid. I simply question the right of wizened old white men being given the right of sending our troops in harm's way with no threat to themselves and their families and without any sense of sacrifice. I am even more horrified that some of the decision-makers actually derive financial benefits by going to war (can anyone say "Halliburton" and "Cheney"?).
A decision to go to war should be the most profound choice a president or congress should ever make. They should be forced to ask themselves "Is this war important enough that I would send my own children to the front lines?" It is so much easier to make these decisions when the young men and women you have sentenced to death belong to families other than your own.
If this seems unreasonable to our rich and well-connected politicians, I seem to recall the Great Britain regularly has members of the royal family in their military ranks. And I don't think that the Texas Air National Guard counts as military service.
But that's just my opinion. Our troops should be home....
Fortunate Son, by John C. Fogarty
Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief"
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no
Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh
But when the taxman comes to the door
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no
Yes, we care.
ReplyDeleteBut the reality is that America is no longer a true democracy. Our nation is controlled by rich and powerful corporations, who can -- and do -- buy elections.
We could take back our country, and restore democracy very easily. But it would require many of the sheeple* who vote Republican to wake up and vote in their own self interest.
* For those who haven't heard the term before, "sheeple" are people who act like sheep, following the judas goats of the world (preachers, politicians, etc.) to their own doom.
Randy A. is exactly right. There are a lot of us that care, but we don't seem to have control of our own country anymore.
ReplyDeleteMy extended family, and especially my Southern relatives venerate the flag, hold every serviceperson to be a hero, and generally "support the troops". But try to talk to them about actually supporting the troops by bringing them home...the conversation gets explosive very quickly.