As I see on television the parades of veterans, I see a bunch of clueless saps who were once trained to be killers and who have indeed probably killed in far off lands for interests that have nothing to do with protecting America and a lot to do with global plotting of the elite.
They aren't heroes. They were young impressionable men who bought into the propaganda. The wise ones have long forgotten that period in their lives. The still clueless march as if they have done something noble when they killed for the state.
Forgive me, but I am just not impressed with government trained killers.
Powerless men are always enthralled by the aphrodisiac of armed force. There sure are a lot of powerless men these days.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Ron Paul a veteran?
ReplyDeleteHe recently wrote: "I became a doctor to avoid being a soldier. I knew I would be drafted, and such things as seeking asylum in another country, or becoming a conscientious objector, were out of my range of thought at that time. But if I became a doctor, I knew I would not be given a rifle and told to shoot other young men at government orders."
Deletehe might say the same thing as Marine Corp General Smedley Butler who thought he was a nut for believing a lot of the stuff he did while in uniform when younger,
DeleteThere are some hero veterans, like Hugh Thompson, who stopped a massacre from occurring in Vietnam.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson,_Jr.
I think this blog is becoming a little schizophrenic. First there's a post about manly men doing manly work, then there's a post ranting against veterans. Make up your mind.
ReplyDeleteHmm. It could be that military work isn't manly work.
DeleteI tried expressing these ideas to my 78 y/o mom earlier today. It pains me to say it, but none of the members of that generation with whom I am personally acquainted can be reached with logic and historical perspective. The brainwashing was too successful.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your "78 y/o mom" but this is one 77 y/o vet who definitely "gets it'.
DeleteAs for: "They were young impressionable men who bought into the propaganda." I wish I could have sold that to my draft board.
When anyone tries to use the Bible to justify murder, I always mention that Jesus wasn't called "The Prince of Peace" due to "the masses". He was crucified for advocating peace!
DeleteThank you for your service to your fellow man by admitting you were a dupe, and that "protecting freedom" wasn't what you thought.
The more veterans speak out about the evils of war, the more it resonates with the sheeple. God will have mercy on you.
I doubt the wise ones forget it, unless they were wise enough to avoid combat.
ReplyDeleteNot enough stopping the insanity though Anonymous @ 2:24pm....
ReplyDeletePeople perceive that terrorists are a great threat to their freedom and the military protects those freedoms. In reality, government is the main threat to freedom and terrorists are reacting to US imperialism in the Middle East. Making these observations in public is liable to get you stoned, so watch Ron Paul vs Gulianni to see how it's done tactfully.
ReplyDeleteSadly, a lot of people are raised to be obedient to their parents, and then obedient to their teachers in government schools, and their obedience is transferred on to the State. Most of these people become authoritarian as this authoritarianism was instilled into them. That is why most conservatives and liberals are statists, and support authoritarian statist policies.
ReplyDeleteSo, if the Rulers say it is your duty to sacrifice your life to "fight for your countrymen's freedom" (translated: to serve the State) because the Rulers found an enemy to fight somewhere, then the obedient ones follow along. The authoritarians don't want to question the State or the Rulers in any significant way, and they gullibly follow the Rulers off the cliff.
So, today I am reminded of all the obedient dupes who followed the Rulers off the cliff.
Your not the only one Wenzel, Laurence Vance has been criticizing military worship for years. Alot of them are on Rockwell's site. A few days ago Thomas DiLorenzo praised the comments by Kevin Blackstone on ESPN saying that war shouldn't be glorified at sporting events.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/all-hail-j-a-adande-and-kevin-blackston-of-espn/
The YouTube video is from the chickenhawk Neocon National Review so you'll see the typical and predicitable comments from conservative military jock sniffers.
Also DiLorenzo posted a response from he from a reader when he praised Blackstone
http://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/attention-ignorant-minority-a-k-a-lewrockwell-com-readers/
I became an ignorant, state indoctrinated, accessory to the murder of hundreds of thousands of totally innocent Vietnamese men women and children. ....some hero.
ReplyDeleteGod is merciful. He will forgive any transgression.
DeleteYou are a hero. Not for your action in SEAsia, but by speaking out about the evil nature of the men that tried to convince you that killing in the name of God, Baseball and American Pie was your "patriotic duty". Those men will burn for their iniquities, while you will be praised for your renunciation of their evil.
I view all the flamboyant costumes and robotic strutting as signs of a kind of cult. Many of the members of this bizarre cult known as the U.S. military get really upset at anyone who doesn't engage in their cult's practices or indulge its mythology. Some of us just don't want to be in your weird cult, OK?
ReplyDeleteToday I noticed EPJ.com passed 25,000,000 page views (congratulations), there was a post on living a Libertarian life, and of course this post about your thoughts of veterans on Veterans Day. I do not seek to change your opinion about people in the military nor veterans, but I wonder why you would publish your opinion? Do you have a specific objective in publishing your thoughts on this matter? I’m curious if you have a specific strategy that you’re trying to advance, and is that strategy consistent with the theme of EPJ.com?
ReplyDeleteIf the long term strategy is to educate and bring an increased level of understanding of Austrian Economics and Liberty to those who are unaware, then sharing your opinion in this manner is likely counterproductive to changing the hearts and minds of current military members and veterans. While exceptionally accurate, the phrase “government trained killers” is not flattering. “Clueless saps” goes further by being insulting. Veterans and current military are largely Conservative, and having been both Conservative and in the Navy in my past, I can tell you these people are those most likely to convert to Libertarianism as I have done.
No need to change your opinion, but perhaps consider staying silent to avoid chasing away those I think are highly likely to embrace true Liberty as they become aware of everything it means. Of course, if you have a specific purpose for publishing your opinions about veterans, then by all means continue to do so. I am one person who will not stop reading EPJ.com based on these views, but I am curious about what you hope to achieve?
Why pander? If a former government murderer is that thin-skinned, then nothing RW writes will help change them. If they read and agree with 10 blog posts, and then get indignant that pointing out their murderous ways, so be it.
DeleteHave to agree with Rick here, if one panders most likely they're compromising in an area. If they can't take criticism of the military (along with criticism of the police) than they weren't interested in liberty to begin with. Those type of people are just against the left, which doesn't always translate to being pro-liberty.
DeleteIn response to you stating conservatives are most likely to convert to libertarianism, I'm not sure that's correct. I live in Massachusetts so I'm surrounded by lefties from all sides. When I actually try to talk politics with friends and family and other acquaintances, I see little glimmers of libertarian ideas shining through sometimes, mostly young people (older generation including my parents don't seem to have any hope about changing their view of politics or the world around here).
DeleteSo if some lefties who are truly antiwar and pro peace were to actually find this post on the internet, become interested, and read some more, that would be a good thing. Much better than listening to Elizabeth Warren's or Mayor Menino's incoherent solicialist rantings (Menino last year was talking about how Boston should intervene and control the cost of cable television because it was too expensive for lower income families!!)
Pandering is an action where the actor expresses something disingenuous; it’s akin to a lie. Staying silent is not the same thing as pandering. It is possible to teach veterans the truth about the State without the insults. If the insults are emotional, they are very likely unhelpful in advancing an objective. If the insults are included as a deliberate and rational strategy to achieve a specific outcome, then let them fly! So which is it? Are the insults coming from an understandable but emotional reaction, or are they included to deliberately antagonize? It’s okay to be antagonistic; that’s often a great way to shock people out of their slumber. What’s the game plan?
DeleteWe are constantly pummeled by messages praising and worshiping those who commit heinous crimes overseas - it has been continuous all weekend (and in any case, at most public events as well).
DeleteMr. Wenzel publishes a couple of paragraphs as a counter to this, and somehow you decide he is the problem?
Amen.
ReplyDeleteI try to remember it as Armistice Day. We glorify the military all year long, can't we celebrate peace one day? Credit to the doughboys since most were drafted or more correctly volunteered by Wilson.
ReplyDelete