Tachyon Flare
03-22-2003, 12:11 AM
How to support the troops
By Kéllia Ramares
Online Journal Associate Editor
March 13, 2003—"The notion that to dissent from the war is to not support the troops is the way every war-mongering White House attempts to guilt-trip Americans into giving up their constitutional right to dissent. It won't work with me."
That's the first thing I wrote to a woman who had visited my web site (http://www.rise4news.net/) site and wrote to oppose my support for Dr. Helen Caldicott's campaign to ask Pope John Paul II to go to Iraq (http://www.rise4news.net/Pope.html). I give this woman credit for articulating some political positions. The negative email I get generally runs to usually anonymous epithets such as "towelhead supporting faggott," "dumb ass," "pathetic maggot" and "pathetic moron," (those last two in the same email, which also accused me of undermining the United States of America).
But this woman signed her name, maintained her dignity and asked some questions that are worthy of public discussion.
"Do your countrymen, the people who will die to preserve your freedoms not deserve the same respect as Iraqi children?" she asked. "Do you care nothing for those brave individuals who are overseas protecting you and your rights? Are you at all concerned for the troops who are defending you? Even if you cannot stop this war, why don't you send support to your fellow countrymen instead of treating them as people who are going to inflict evil on the poor people of Iraq?"
One problem with this woman's point of view is that, until now, I have not made any comments about the troops. My biggest concern is getting the Bush Cabal impeached ASAP. (http://www.rise4news.net/impeach.html) If that would happen, maybe we can stop the killing and dying on both sides. But the biggest problem with this woman's arguments is that she is, perhaps unwittingly, part and parcel of the propaganda arm of the war machine. The propaganda is: If you don't support the war, you are endangering the morale of the troops who are fighting and dying for you. One of the most potent underlying myths of "support the troops" is that troops are committed to combat by the U.S. Government only to protect the American people and their freedoms. September 11 reinforced that myth. If one believes that myth, then one will perceive public failure to support the war to be gross ingratitude at best and treason at worst. It then becomes easy to demonize antiwar protesters.
But, as I replied to her, "I do not believe that the troops are protecting me and my rights. Quite to the contrary, my rights are under siege by the same forces that are putting the lives of the troops in jeopardy. I have only to read the PATRIOT Act, The Homeland Security Act and the draft of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act to know that the biggest threats to my rights are named Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft and Powell, not Hussein. Iraq is not attacking me and therefore the troops waging war on Iraq are not defending me.
"If you really believe that Iraq is a threat then you have been watching too much corporate TV news. Do you remember the first Gulf War and do you know how the Americans literally buried Iraqi soldiers alive in trenches? The Iraqi army is even weaker this time. The Iraqi army is no match for us. This is not a war. It is simply a massacre."
Another myth behind "support the troops" is the idea that the bravery of our troops, or the perceived righteousness of our cause, which is extremely dubious in this case, cancels out the fact that the troops will commit evil acts, some of which may even rise to the level of war crimes.
"U.S. troops will indeed inflict evil on the poor people of Iraq," I continued. "What else would you call the "Shock and Awe" plan to drop 3,000 bombs on Iraq in the first 48 hours?
"Did you know that 50 percent of the Iraqi population is aged 15 or younger? Is your idea of supporting the troops to say, 'Yay! Go drop some more bombs on those kids? Go poison their land with radioactive dust?' Are you aware that Iraqi children are being born with birth defects hitherto unknown to the medical journals because of their mothers breathing radioactive dust while pregnant?"
By this I was referring to the aftereffects of depleted uranium (DU) used in the 1991 Gulf War. DU is a soldier that keeps on fighting long after the peace treaty is signed. I gave her the link to some photos of grossly deformed children (http://www.web-light.nl/VISIE/extremedeformities.html). Most are Iraqi, but one photo is identified as the child of a Gulf War vet. And anyone who truly cares about the troops should remember what the last war did to them.
"Yes," I wrote, "I am concerned about the troops. Twenty five to 28 percent of Gulf War vets came home with some kind of medical problem. The USG still refuses to acknowledge Gulf War Syndrome. And yet chickenhawks like Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, who never saw combat in Viet Nam, are blithely setting the stage for the further poisoning of our young men and women and the deformation of their children.
"Yes, I support the troops by wanting them home, not committing war crimes, not being killed or maimed or psychologically damaged by what is nothing more than an imperialist oil grab by a government that won't take care of them once they have fulfilled their hideous mission."
A few days later, an anonymous woman Marine exposed another myth underlying the idea that we must support the troops by supporting the war: the myth that all the troops support the war themselves. Here is a transcript of her email to a co-founder of Military Families Against the War. It was read at a peace rally in Boston on March 8, International Women's Day, and was recorded by Kezia Parsons of Free Speech Radio News. The email shows that this war is controversial even within the ranks of an all-volunteer military:
"I do not believe in this war in Iraq. I have a little girl and a wonderful man I love very much. I have dedicated my life to serving others. I am a person and a citizen. I am not just an expendable pawn in Bush's chess game. I did not sign up to give my life for a personal grudge between two dictators.
"We are very scared that this will be like Viet Nam all over again; that when we come home we will be called baby killers and warmongers. Please let people know that we did not ask for this job. We signed up to serve the United States and instead we serve the personal interests of Bush. Please let people know we are forced into this. If I was not in the military I would be chaining myself to the front gate of the White House protesting.
"Unfortunately, being in the military, I would be court-martialed for it. I cannot sign any books, pledges or post my name because I am not allowed to disagree with my Commander-in-Chief. I did not realize when I joined the military that I gave up my basic right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. So thank you for delivering our message for us."
Signed,
The Silenced Few, The Proud, The Marines.
"We signed up to serve the United States and instead we serve the personal interests of Bush." That is as concise a definition of "empire" as one will find.
In this war, American troops will indeed be baby killers, even if no soldier ever bayonets an infant. Depleted uranium will see to it that American troops become baby killers, of the Iraqis and of their own progeny, for generations to come.
I support the troops by passing on that message from "The Silenced" brave soldiers who know the difference between fighting for one's country and fighting for the agenda of a few of its (unelected) rulers.
Now we all have to up the ante: I hope U.S. reservists will follow the lead of those brave Israeli reservists (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2236534.stm) who are refusing to commit genocide in Palestine. I urge U.S. protesters to carry signs demanding impeachment (http://www.rise4news.net/), whenever they demonstrate. And I urge U.K. protesters carry signs demanding new elections. (http://www.rise4news.net/) Support the troops by telling Bush and Blair that they cannot squander the lives of our soldiers without it costing them their political careers.
By Kéllia Ramares
Online Journal Associate Editor
March 13, 2003—"The notion that to dissent from the war is to not support the troops is the way every war-mongering White House attempts to guilt-trip Americans into giving up their constitutional right to dissent. It won't work with me."
That's the first thing I wrote to a woman who had visited my web site (http://www.rise4news.net/) site and wrote to oppose my support for Dr. Helen Caldicott's campaign to ask Pope John Paul II to go to Iraq (http://www.rise4news.net/Pope.html). I give this woman credit for articulating some political positions. The negative email I get generally runs to usually anonymous epithets such as "towelhead supporting faggott," "dumb ass," "pathetic maggot" and "pathetic moron," (those last two in the same email, which also accused me of undermining the United States of America).
But this woman signed her name, maintained her dignity and asked some questions that are worthy of public discussion.
"Do your countrymen, the people who will die to preserve your freedoms not deserve the same respect as Iraqi children?" she asked. "Do you care nothing for those brave individuals who are overseas protecting you and your rights? Are you at all concerned for the troops who are defending you? Even if you cannot stop this war, why don't you send support to your fellow countrymen instead of treating them as people who are going to inflict evil on the poor people of Iraq?"
One problem with this woman's point of view is that, until now, I have not made any comments about the troops. My biggest concern is getting the Bush Cabal impeached ASAP. (http://www.rise4news.net/impeach.html) If that would happen, maybe we can stop the killing and dying on both sides. But the biggest problem with this woman's arguments is that she is, perhaps unwittingly, part and parcel of the propaganda arm of the war machine. The propaganda is: If you don't support the war, you are endangering the morale of the troops who are fighting and dying for you. One of the most potent underlying myths of "support the troops" is that troops are committed to combat by the U.S. Government only to protect the American people and their freedoms. September 11 reinforced that myth. If one believes that myth, then one will perceive public failure to support the war to be gross ingratitude at best and treason at worst. It then becomes easy to demonize antiwar protesters.
But, as I replied to her, "I do not believe that the troops are protecting me and my rights. Quite to the contrary, my rights are under siege by the same forces that are putting the lives of the troops in jeopardy. I have only to read the PATRIOT Act, The Homeland Security Act and the draft of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act to know that the biggest threats to my rights are named Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft and Powell, not Hussein. Iraq is not attacking me and therefore the troops waging war on Iraq are not defending me.
"If you really believe that Iraq is a threat then you have been watching too much corporate TV news. Do you remember the first Gulf War and do you know how the Americans literally buried Iraqi soldiers alive in trenches? The Iraqi army is even weaker this time. The Iraqi army is no match for us. This is not a war. It is simply a massacre."
Another myth behind "support the troops" is the idea that the bravery of our troops, or the perceived righteousness of our cause, which is extremely dubious in this case, cancels out the fact that the troops will commit evil acts, some of which may even rise to the level of war crimes.
"U.S. troops will indeed inflict evil on the poor people of Iraq," I continued. "What else would you call the "Shock and Awe" plan to drop 3,000 bombs on Iraq in the first 48 hours?
"Did you know that 50 percent of the Iraqi population is aged 15 or younger? Is your idea of supporting the troops to say, 'Yay! Go drop some more bombs on those kids? Go poison their land with radioactive dust?' Are you aware that Iraqi children are being born with birth defects hitherto unknown to the medical journals because of their mothers breathing radioactive dust while pregnant?"
By this I was referring to the aftereffects of depleted uranium (DU) used in the 1991 Gulf War. DU is a soldier that keeps on fighting long after the peace treaty is signed. I gave her the link to some photos of grossly deformed children (http://www.web-light.nl/VISIE/extremedeformities.html). Most are Iraqi, but one photo is identified as the child of a Gulf War vet. And anyone who truly cares about the troops should remember what the last war did to them.
"Yes," I wrote, "I am concerned about the troops. Twenty five to 28 percent of Gulf War vets came home with some kind of medical problem. The USG still refuses to acknowledge Gulf War Syndrome. And yet chickenhawks like Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, who never saw combat in Viet Nam, are blithely setting the stage for the further poisoning of our young men and women and the deformation of their children.
"Yes, I support the troops by wanting them home, not committing war crimes, not being killed or maimed or psychologically damaged by what is nothing more than an imperialist oil grab by a government that won't take care of them once they have fulfilled their hideous mission."
A few days later, an anonymous woman Marine exposed another myth underlying the idea that we must support the troops by supporting the war: the myth that all the troops support the war themselves. Here is a transcript of her email to a co-founder of Military Families Against the War. It was read at a peace rally in Boston on March 8, International Women's Day, and was recorded by Kezia Parsons of Free Speech Radio News. The email shows that this war is controversial even within the ranks of an all-volunteer military:
"I do not believe in this war in Iraq. I have a little girl and a wonderful man I love very much. I have dedicated my life to serving others. I am a person and a citizen. I am not just an expendable pawn in Bush's chess game. I did not sign up to give my life for a personal grudge between two dictators.
"We are very scared that this will be like Viet Nam all over again; that when we come home we will be called baby killers and warmongers. Please let people know that we did not ask for this job. We signed up to serve the United States and instead we serve the personal interests of Bush. Please let people know we are forced into this. If I was not in the military I would be chaining myself to the front gate of the White House protesting.
"Unfortunately, being in the military, I would be court-martialed for it. I cannot sign any books, pledges or post my name because I am not allowed to disagree with my Commander-in-Chief. I did not realize when I joined the military that I gave up my basic right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. So thank you for delivering our message for us."
Signed,
The Silenced Few, The Proud, The Marines.
"We signed up to serve the United States and instead we serve the personal interests of Bush." That is as concise a definition of "empire" as one will find.
In this war, American troops will indeed be baby killers, even if no soldier ever bayonets an infant. Depleted uranium will see to it that American troops become baby killers, of the Iraqis and of their own progeny, for generations to come.
I support the troops by passing on that message from "The Silenced" brave soldiers who know the difference between fighting for one's country and fighting for the agenda of a few of its (unelected) rulers.
Now we all have to up the ante: I hope U.S. reservists will follow the lead of those brave Israeli reservists (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2236534.stm) who are refusing to commit genocide in Palestine. I urge U.S. protesters to carry signs demanding impeachment (http://www.rise4news.net/), whenever they demonstrate. And I urge U.K. protesters carry signs demanding new elections. (http://www.rise4news.net/) Support the troops by telling Bush and Blair that they cannot squander the lives of our soldiers without it costing them their political careers.