What war is really about

I have two dear loved ones in the military. I also have a lot of sympathy for the many young people who, after a lifetime of indoctrination, signed up to do what they believed would be defending their country.

With that said, I think there is an important distinction to be made: U.S. soldiers do not kill and die for our country, they kill and die for the government. 

War is about the government fighting other governments for its own interests and those of its corporate cronies. The government uses its subjects -- sometimes volunteers and other times conscripts -- to accomplish its objectives.

War is not about freedom, it is not about security, it is not about human rights, it is not about democracy.

War is the health of the state, and war is a racket.

Americans are less free, less safe and poorer as a result of their government's unjust, unconstitutional, counterproductive wars. These wars cause untold death, destruction and misery in this world, all for the benefit of those who control the levers of power.

Soldiers kill and maim other soldiers that their government has convinced them are their enemies, but in reality are mostly indoctrinated and propagandized young people exactly like them, "just following orders" on the part of their government. In many cases, they are defending their homes from U.S. invaders and occupiers. 

More often, the human beings who soldiers destroy are innocent civilians who are either caught in the crossfire or targeted intentionally. The U.S. has slaughtered millions of innocents just since WWII (and plenty during and before WWII as well).

War is about money, power and glory. It is about enriching the politically connected, expanding the empire abroad and at home, and glorifying the state.

This is far less glamorous than the fairytales we are told by the government all of our lives, whether through school, media, before sporting events, etc. And it is extremely painful to accept. But it is true.

Memorial Day madness

Why do some people have the good sense to be deeply skeptical when it comes to the lies the government tells them about schemes like Obamacare, but when it comes to the self-serving fairytales government tells them about its wars, they eagerly and enthusiastically believe it?

The government that said "if you like your health plan, you can keep it" is the same government that says "we send soldiers to kill and die for your freedom".

"We perpetuate war by exalting its sacrifices"

A powerful scene with James Garner and Julie Andrews from the great film The Americanization of Emily.

Most U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan attack houses

President Obama is a mass murderer. I think most people know that by now, but just in case anyone isn't aware, I figured it bears repeating.

http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2014/05/23/most-us-drone-strikes-in-pakistan-attack-houses/

Also, Obama has redefined "militant" to mean any military-aged male killed in a drone strike -- in other words, he has redefined "civilian" to not count any male above the age of 18 regardless of whether they are actually a civilian. So, I would always assume the civilian death tolls are way underestimated, and likewise that the terrorist body count is always quite exaggerated (when the numbers come through the U.S. government or its allies in some way, that is).

And speaking of terrorism, when we're talking about blowing up homes at will from the other side of the world via remote control planes without the ability to know exactly who is inside the home and the blast radius, who's the really the terrorist in that scenario?

Useful idiots

These were among Osama bin Laden's primary objectives:

-- bankrupt the U.S. with endless wars
-- radicalize a generation of Muslims to attempt to drive the U.S. out of their homeland
-- regime change of secular dictators (which the U.S. installed and/or props up)

Sound familiar? Those are the main "accomplishments" of the foolish, arrogant, utterly stupid U.S. Empire in its so-called War on Terror. No one has helped that clever murderer Osama accomplish his goals as much as those murderous imbeciles in Washington, D.C.

h/t Scott Horton

War is hell.

I'm sick of living in a state of perpetual war.

How about our government obeys the Constitution. How about our government follows the Golden Rule. How about our government stops waging undeclared and unnecessary wars that have nothing to do with our defense, and which end up killing our soldiers and innocent civilians and creating countless more enemies. 

How about we stop electing people who are so eager to spill blood and spend treasure so carelessly.

War is hell. How about we elect the anti-hell candidate.

(photo credit www.lewrockwell.com)

Same propaganda, different day. (And slightly different spelling.)

Iraq. Iran. It must be cost effective to use the same script and simply change the "q" to "n".

A serious threat to racism and inequality

Ron Paul is the only one among the presidential candidates for 2012, including Barack Obama, with the courage and integrity to talk about the most devastating sources of racism and inequality today: the federal "War on Drugs", the judicial system and the unnecessary foreign wars.