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Nov. 10, 2009 I can't stand religion or patriotism, but when the two get mixed, it just becomes intolerable. Yesterday, I took my wife to church, a monthly form of torture I endure for her sake because she's disabled and can't attend without my help. We noticed the parking lot was much more crowded than usual, and I had to drag her and her wheelchair across a football-field-length, sandy parking lot. It was a tough task because the wheels sink into the dunes and get little traction. Once inside, I received a bad surprise--they were honoring all of the military veterans of the church, meaning ten times as many people showed up, including those who normally never go to church. My wife whispered apologies because she knows my opinion about patriotism. I'm an agnostic. I don't know if there is a God or not, but I'm pretty sure if there is one, God is not some invisible Jewish man who sees all and died to save all our souls. Nevertheless, one of his teachings is that people should "turn the other cheek." The very existence of the military is contrary to this teaching. Having and using a military is the opposite of what Jesus stood for. Jesus was a complete pacifist. For military men to congratulate each other inside a Christian church is incredibly hypocritical. For my wife's sake, I kept my mouth shut and didn't point out the hypocrisy to everyone within earshot. The people who go to church are mostly nice, old couples and conservative soccer moms. Illustrating the lack of logic in their beliefs would serve no purpose. Instead, in honor of Veteran's Day, I submit this resolution: that no war the U.S. has ever fought has been necessary. The Revolutionary War was fought to protest a tiny, justifiable tax that was needed to replenish the revenue the British spent on the war that drove the French and Indians out of land coveted by rich American land barons. The old school book slogan of "taxation without representation" is a false one--Americans were British citizens and had as much representation as anyone in England. Moreover, after the U.S. gained independence, President George Washington crushed the Whiskey Rebellion which was a protest over a tiny, justifiable tax. The War of 1812 was an unnecessary blunder--diplomacy would have settled the conflict eventually, and in fact, it was diplomacy that ended the war. It certainly wasn't the battlefield results that settled the war because Americans got their clock cleaned in most of the battles and Washington DC burned to the ground. The Mexican War was just an excuse to steal land from Mexico. The Civil War was actually a rebellion by southerners insulted over the election of a president who thought slavery was morally repugnant. There was no need to rebel--Lincoln was not going to end slavery. Ironically, the war that southerners started led to the very result they dreaded. If they would have left well enough alone, in 1866 they still would have had their slaves. The Spanish American war was just an excuse to steal land from Spain. A congressional investigation determined American's entry into World War I was due to the political influence of the munitions industry (a forerunner fo the military industrial complex that's behind all modern wars). Arms makers bribed congressmen and the president into making an excuse to declare war against Germany, so they could profit. If America had not entered the war, Germany would've won. If Germany would have won, there would have been no Hitler, no World War II, and no holocaust. Therefore, America is to blame for all three. Japan would've never attacked the U.S. without Germany. The Korean War was not at all necessary for American security, and neither was the Vietnam War. The U.S. lost in Vietnam, yet our security remained unaffected. The first Gulf War was obviously unnecessary. Who cares if one Arab king steals oil lands from some other Arab King? U.S. aggression and occupation in Muslim lands led to the attacks of 9-11. The U.S. did have the right to raid terrorist camps in Afghanistan, but as usual the U.S. military flubbed the task and let the terrorists escape to Pakistan and now the U.S. is stuck with two huge, unnecessary occupations of backward countries. Even a so-called liberal president fears to buck the military industrial complex. Instead of pulling out, this "liberal" president is increasing the number of troops in this unnecessary occupation.
I'm not a pacifist--I think Jesus's "turn the other cheek" philosophy is a stupid one. I'm just making the case that the U.S. has never fought a war of necessity.
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