Splashing In Puddles of Sand

Every war is different, Every war is the same

That's a phrase that stuck with me from the war movie Jarhead. I watched it last night and while I watched it I sorted my thoughts out for what I wanted to blog about.

War: a struggle or competition between opposing forces, or for a particular end (Merriam Webster)

Keeping in mind that my writings only reflect my own thoughts, I think that war is the most despicable human act imaginable, it is wrong in every possible way. I think it should be a seen as a last resort, instead of being used as a quick-fix to any problem, as it has been used in the last few years. It's not fair to bomb the cities, schools, churches, houses of the innocent. And let's be honest here--the innocent die far more than the guilty in wars. It's not fair to inflict violence and evil (that could otherwise be avoided), when the world has enough natural diseases and disasters to deal with already.

I hate how people get so caught up in propaganda, how literally in a matter of days every household can have a flag waving outside their front door, how they all come together in the destruction of other people who are still humans, just like their enemies.

I hate how being in the military in the U.S is seen as so honorable. It's not! They are told that they will police the world, they will bring security, the will bring down threats, they will be the ultimate authority, the world's leader. For me being in the army is somewhere unfortunate to end up. I know that there may be some honorable people there, and there are many reasons to join the army, as a route to college, etc...but I just cant justify (in my case) agreeing to fight a war that I do not agree with. It may be next year, it may be in 5 or 6 years under new leadership, who knows..you never know where you will be sent out and what you will be asked to fight for and for what reasons. I wouldn't be able to do that. I wouldn't be able to stand up, give my life, for something that I do not agree with, never mind something that I may be against.

Then there's how fucked up people are who sign up for the military. Like I said, there are many reasons to sign up, but a lot of people sign up because they have nothing else to do, because they're stuck in the ghetto with no one who will hire them, with no way of making a living. That or they have some sick perversion where they enjoy watching people suffer, where they get off knowing they have killed someone. Obviously not everyone is like this, but there are some sick people in the military, and the scandals of the sexual abuse, of human rights breaches that the U.S military afflict on Iraqi prisoners...It shows the inconsistent motives behind the war. George Bush claims he's trying to save the Iraqi people by bringing down a dictator and spreading democracy, while his troops mistreat, abuse, and rape Iraqi POWs. It's disgusting.

Another thing I hate is the censorship in the U.S-aka-land of the free. I hate how during the war, TV crews were not allowed to film U.S caskets being flown home. Why? Because admitting that American soldiers were dying would decrease the public's support of the war. Then there's the fact that the leaders of the War--Bush and his military commanders, wont even acknowledge the 30,000 Iraqi lives that have been lost since U.S and British invasion. It's unbelievable how the minute no Weapons of Mass Destruction are found, the U.S claim they were trying to spread democracy, and that was their goal the whole time! Does anybody REALLY still believe that this war is about freeing the poor Iraqi people, most of whom didn't want America (known in Arabic as The Great Devil) in their country?

This may seem like an attack on the U.S, which it isn't really supposed to be. It's an attack on the injustice of war...All my examples just seem to relate to Bush because they are the most recent I suppose. I just don't see what can be gained from fighting. I don't see what is to be gained from blood-shed and death. And I don't understand how people can be so fickle that they will support it without registering a thought. For some reason I always remember when Britney Spears was asked her opinion on the war, and she smiled and said that she thinks Americans should support their president in any decision he makes, because he's in control. Ok, so if Bush goes on a war path and decides to kill all Arab people, all black people, all gay people in the country, that should be supported??? If he decided, just cuz he wants to, to censor all aspects of the news then he should be allowed to? It's ridiculous that people can follow 'leaders' so blindly. I understand that if they were elected they must have some sort of majoritarian support behind them (or be really good cheaters!) but just because people elect a president doesn't mean he has the right to run free and do what he wants, that will just create an underwritten dictatorship.

Anyway, I am striving off my point. I just don't see the glory of war. Where is it? What is it? WHY is war seen as such a heroic/honorable/important action in the world, especially in the U.S?

posted by Oreo @ 9:05 PM