Memorial Day is an opportunity to remember Americans who
gave their lives in defense of their country. Ceremonies will be held at all national cemeteries, at the
tomb of the Unknown Soldier, flags will be prominently displayed and the
president will give a speech honoring the fallen. All this pomp and attention is nothing more than
sentimentality unless we truly remember what this day is and isn't about.
We should remember the over 5,000 Americans who lost their lives in two
wars over the last decade which were immoral and unnecessary. As we wind down our involvement in
Afghanistan, and acknowledge the disaster which was Iraq, we need to remember
how jazzed, gung-ho, emotionally charged, Americans were to go to war after
September 11, 2001. The country
was jingoism central, egged on by a White House where the end justified the
means, and we wanted a chance to get at those "rag-heads",
"sand-niggers", "A-rabs" and get our pound of flesh. Voices of opposition, moderation,
caution were drowned out by the martial music introductions of the latest on
CNN and the corporate media and accused of being soft on terrorism,
unpatriotic, traitors. Americans
ignored the colossal incompetence in Afghanistan which allowed Osama Bin Laden
and Mullah Omar to escape at Tora Bora.
(Omar still alive and well and leading the Taliban and killing
Americans)...ignored the fact Saddam Hussein and Iraq had nothing to do with
September 11th (over 70% of Americans thought Hussein had a hand in the
planning and execution of the attack at the time we invaded)...ignored the lies
and propaganda from the White House and Congress (don't forget Hillary Clinton,
John Edwards, and John Kerry were among the Democrats who voted to go to
war. What would President Hillary
Clinton do today about Syria, Ukraine, Nigeria and China?)
Young Americans were used as cannon fodder for political gain. They were used to "force"
democracy on the Middle East. They
were sacrificed on the altar of political gain. In Afghanistan, they had their legs cut off as resources
were diverted to prepare to invade Iraq while still fighting a war in
Afghanistan. (at one point Special
Forces troops who spoke local languages were sent to Iraq replaced by forces that
spoke Spanish) In Iraq,
despite testimony by the joint chiefs it would take as many as 500,000 troops
to successfully invade and pacify the country, the war was conducted on the
cheap. Calamitous decisions were
made to disband the Iraqi army and to fail to impose security and civil order
leaving an inadequate American force caught in the middle of a growing civil
war. All of this based on lies
emanating from the White House and amplified by a corporate media more
interested in profit than truth.
(does the name Judith Miller ring a bell?)
On this Memorial Day, it isn't enough to remember the dead...to put
flags on their graves...to play TAPS and give 21 gun salutes if that is all we
do. We need to remember. We need to refuse to be stampeded and
act like sheep. We need to be much
more cynical and realistic about the use of force and what it can and cannot
accomplish.
President Obama is getting whipsawed in public opinion polls for not
being tough enough in his foreign policy.
Americans tell pollsters they want a more muscular president and don't
like his over dependency on diplomacy.
These same Americans are the ones who also say, by more than a 60%
margin if the Wall Street Journal poll is to be believed, we should fix what
needs to be fixed here at home and not get militarily involved in new foreign
conflicts. So on Memorial Day
which is it?
Should we send troops to Syria to depose the Assad regime? (there are reports they are still using
chemical weapons to attack their people)
Should NATO, which means us, station troops in Eastern Ukraine to oppose
Russian forces? Should we somehow
force Russia to give back Crimea?
Should we be planning a military assault on Iran to stop their nuclear
weapons production? What about
American boots on the ground in Nigeria to rescue the kidnapped girls or as
peacekeepers in Mali, South Sudan or Somalia? What about China?
Should we be signing mutual defense pacts with Japan, Vietnam, the
Philippines or Taiwan promising to come to their aid, which means sending young
Americans into harm's way, if they get into a conflict with China? Should we go to war to protect
Israel? (Senator John McCain says
if he were president he would have sent troops into Nigeria to find the girls
whether the nations leaders agreed or not. Really?)
It is so easy to get into wars, but as we now know not very easy to end them
Cindy Sheehan once asked President Bush why her son had to die in Iraq. (a
nation falling apart at the seams as we speak) On Memorial Day do we have any better answers as to why
Americans died in Afghanistan, Vietnam, Lebanon, Grenada et.al.?
There are drums beating again in this country. Despite annual reminders on Memorial Days, Americans once
again have forgotten the cost associated with foreign adventures. Obama is pilloried for not being tough
enough. (which means being willing
to sacrifice American lives) Yet,
because of previous political/military failures, he commands a broken military
with skyrocketing suicide rates, sexual assaults, and posttraumatic stress and,
despite national rhetoric about honoring the nation's soldiers, a Veteran's
Administration which can't meet the medical needs of those who have already
served let alone those in the future.
Perhaps the best and most moral response we could make on Memorial Day
is to remember not to treat the military like it’s a video game and protect
those who serve their country.
Perhaps our leaders might remember not to use American's soldiers to
make political points or to rise in polls. Perhaps we need to decide which it is...fix what needs to be
fixed at home and reduce a bloated military budget or police the rest of the
world while everyone else sits back and watches. One thing is clear.
We insult the memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice if we
don't learn from our mistakes and promise to be more careful in times to come.
