Defending Our Freedom?
A good friend of mine, who happens to be liberal, posed a question to me that really needs some examination. She fully supports and respects our troops. She is deeply involved in nurturing future military and law enforcement recruits as a part of her job. I believe her question comes not out of disrespect or a suspicion of the military, but out of a deep concern for the young men and women in her care who are stepping up to risk their lives in a way that few do.
Her question was simple, and sure to inspire a knee jerk reaction among many of you. I initially reacted the same way as well. She asked, "How is a 19-year-old shooting people in Whateverstan defending our freedom?" Going further in my own mind, how does that young recruit's death or dismemberment defend the freedom of the vast majority of Americans who give that dedicated, patriotic warrior no thought from day to day?
For a long time, that was an easy question to answer. The Revolution secured our freedom. The War of 1812 defended that freedom from a re-invasion by the Brits. The Civil War granted and defended freedom to a previously oppressed population and preserved that granting of rights through preserving the Union.
Then it starts to get dicey. The Mexican American war, and the Spanish American war were wars that expanded the influence, geography and power of the United States. Defending our freedom is not an issue in war for profit.
There can be a case made for defending our freedom in WWI and WWII. In each America was faced with the prospect of our friends in Europe being conquered by forces that would then be hostile to America. And threaten America. Japan actually attacked us. Hitler declared war on us over lunch one day soon after Pearl Harbor. There were German subs patrolling our coast and sinking our merchant ships. That's enough cover for me.
Then it gets really dicey. Korea and Vietnam were proxy wars to hold back communism in third world shitholes that no one really cared about. Pretty much, Harry Truman was pissed off that Mao captured China, and wanted Korea. We defended Korea's freedom and are still there 70 years later to the tune of 30,000 troops. We are not defending America's freedom there, we are being S. Korea's muscle.
The French bailed on Vietnam. Eisenhower and Kennedy, continuing policy after the draw in Korea, were still afraid of what would become of the string of dominoes falling over. Johnson and Nixon developed the policy of "containment" of China by carpet bombing southeast Asia and playing footsie with the Soviet Union.
The one war since WWII that we could justify as defending our freedom is the Cold War. That war was not fought by boots on the ground, but by a vast stockpile of nukes in silos. The rest since then (Grenada, Panama - remember Noriega?- Lebanon, Gulf War I)- well, there was little defense of American freedom, and we served more as the hired gun defending other's freedom, as well as keeping the oil flowing from Kuwait.
Afghanistan, I have often said, was supposed to be a war of retribution. Go in and kick ass as payback for 9-11. Then get out. Since that mission was accomplished (back about the time we diverted to Iraq), we have been on a profit run for Raytheon, and finding new profit centers for them. Neither country has the ability to provide a threat to American freedom beyond an occasional terrorist attack. Or the freedom that we Americans voluntarily surrender at the airport, or as our rights are chipped away at by the government in the name of our own security.
The justification of "defending our freedom" in describing the current job of the military, makes us feel good and proud about our men and women in uniform, as we should be. We have the finest and most courageous military on the planet. To use the phrase "defending our freedom" in any of the current missions that the military serves (Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Uganda, Pakistan, Kenya, and now Ukraine) is a disservice to our gallant military. It is a lie.
We are now whoring out our military as a mercenary army to the world - you can pull up Ukraine, Syria and Yemen as classic examples. There is not a drop of American blood being spilled in any of our active military theaters that is defending American freedom. Our soldiers bleed and die in proxy wars of dubious value to American interests, except when looking at the bottom line of the makers of bullets, bombs and jets. Both Eisenhower and Orwell warned of wars of convenience fought for economic reasons and warned against the corrupting influence of the military-industrial complex in bed with a compliant government interested in maintaining its power.
No Virginia, our military is not defending our freedom. We are nation-building and creating vassal states to keep the money rolling in). We are carrying water for our "allies" who are too sclerotic to keep their own oil flowing (Libya), and we are managing chaos in areas of the world that will never be a threat to us, or even a part of our national interest (all of the rest).
In addition to the blood that our troops shed, we lard tinpot dictators the world over with our largess, paid for by American taxpayers. Just look at the sweetheart deal that Egypt got after dumping Mubarak- 20 F-16s, and 200 Abrahms tanks, and it doesn't cost Egypt a dime. Or the billions of dollars of weapons and equipment donated to the Taliban on our botched exit. And the pocket money (in the form of billions) that we slide to Ukraine, seemingly endlessly. You and I covered the bill. Our tax dollars at work...
To make things worse, we are doing it without the benefit of a plan beyond helping the corporate ledgers at Raytheon, Teledyne, and Lockheed, et al. Our military fights, our military is wounded and our military dies. None of it is because they are defending our freedom. Our President has seen to that.
Since they are not defending our freedom, they should be coming home. Let the Ukrainians fight for Ukraine freedom. Ditto the Syrians. And the rest. We are having no problems letting the Chinese and the Iranians do it on their own. The mission of the American military should be to defend the freedom and the interests of America, not to be the Rent-A-Cop to the world.
A large portion of our troops are in harm's way for no good reason. Our troops have made a solemn pact with the United States of America. If called to do so, they will lay down their lives to succeed in the mission. All I ask, is that if we must ask some to die, it would be for a cause that is vital to America. This confused mass of bullshit does not show any signs of being vital to American interests.
To the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, sons and daughters of our military members:
I stand with your soldier. I support and show a great pride in everyone who serves. That support and pride extends so far that I cannot in good conscience, ask you to offer the ultimate sacrifice, for what is now a mix of very questionable reasons. It just isn't right.
So, to answer my liberal friend, our troops right now are not "defending our freedom". They are being used and abused and casually tossed aside with the gift of a neatly folded flag, and continually cut support after sacrificing for the lie. I don't know how the President, the SecDef, or any of the DC military brass can sleep at night. My conscience would not allow me to.
To all of them - prove there is a vital interest, or that our freedom is being defended, or bring our troops home. Now. Period.