Can We Be Anti-War But Pro-Troops?
By Mickey Z.
25 March,
2008
Countercurrents.org
For some, the phrase "support
our troops" is merely a euphemism for: support the policies that
put the troops there in the first place. For others unqualified, uncompromising
stand against this war (and all war). Many who identify themselves
as ³anti-war² still vigorously defend the troopsSno questions
asked.
The excuse making typically falls into two broad categories. The first
being: ³Our troops are just following orders.²
A simple Web search will find many reasons why this concept has no
legal basis. For example, Principle IV of Nuremberg Tribunal (1950)
states: ³The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his
government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility
under international law provided a moral choice was in fact possible
to him.²
Besides this, it can be easily posited that ³only following orders²
also has no moral footing. Of course, the facile example would be
Nazi Germany. The Left praised Vietnam era draftees who fled to Canada.
Yet, today¹s volunteer warriors are given a free pass because
they didn¹t give the orders in an illegal war and occupation.
This is not only illegal and immoral; it also
lacks any radical credibility. Somehow, individuals and groups can
stand tall against war and military intervention but refuse to shine
a light on those who choose (and get paid) to fight. Nowhere else
in the realm of activism does such a paradox exist.
Consider the animal rights activists struggling to end the morally
indefensible and scientifically fraudulent enterprise of animal experimentation.
Can they expose the corporations and academic institutions but somehow
"support" the actual scientists performing the lab experiments?
Surely, they are "just doing their job" and ³following
orders.²
How about those fighting to end unfair labor practices? Is it acceptable
to call out the CEOs of Nike & The Gap but hang yellow ribbons
for those who handle day-to-day operations of a sweatshop in, say,
Vietnam? These men and women are just as ³stuck in a bad situation²
as any grunt in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The second excuse usually sounds like this: ³It¹s a poverty
draft. These poor souls have to enlist because they any economic options.²
America is certainly an unjust economic society and this would be
a compelling argumentSif it were true. A 2006 New York Times op-ed
highlighted a study by Tim Kane and Mackenzie Eaglen that ³analyzed
demographic data on every single enlistee, not just a sample, and
found that in terms of education, last year¹s recruits were just
as qualified as those of any recent year, and maybe the best ever.
Over all, wartime recruits since 1999 are in many respects comparable
to the youth population on the whole, except that they are on average
a bit wealthier, much more likely to have graduated from high school
and more rural than their civilian peers.² They also found that
youths ³from wealthy American ZIP codes are volunteering in ever
higher numbers² while ³enlistees from the poorest fifth
of American neighborhoods fell nearly a full percentage point over
the last two years, to 13.7 percent. In 1999, that number was exactly
18 percent.²
So, are some of the soldiers in Iraq there primarily for economic
reasons? Sure. Did others sign up for a chance to shoot some ³ragheads²?
Probably . After factoring out these two relatively small groups and
rejecting the illegal, immoral, and reactionary ³only following
orders² defense, I ask this of anti-war activists: Exactly how
are the men and women who willingly signed up to wage war in Iraq
and Afghanistan immune from any and all scrutiny and/or blame?
After all, what do you think ³our troops² are doing? "We
know that 99.9% of our forces conduct themselves in an exemplary manner,²
says Donald Rumsfeld. ³We also know that in conflicts things
that shouldn't happen do happen."
If only 1/10 of 1% of US soldiers make ³things happen that shouldn't
happen,² what are the rest doing to have us standing and singing
"God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch at Yankee
Stadium? How do we define exemplary manner ?
By Rumsfeld's reckoning (and the standard company line of most every
politician, pundit, and peon) "exemplary" includes (among
other things) the use of Daisy Cutters, cluster bombs, napalm, depleted
uranium, white phosphorus, and the launching cruise missiles into
crowded cities.
"Things that shouldn't happen do happen," Rumsfeld explains.
But what about all the stuff that this society accepts "should"
happen? Why would anyone besides a sadist feel compelled to support
that unconditionally?
There are two powerful myths/ironies propping up the ³support
the troops² premise. The first involves what they are doing in
Iraq and Afghanistan in the first place. I can¹t tell you how
many e-mails I¹ve received over the years that read something
like this: ³While you sit at home in your luxurious apartment,
making money off your writing (insert laugh track here), those brave
men and women are putting their asses on the line to fight for your
freedom to write your anti-American garbage.
I say: Bullshit.
The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are not fighting for my freedom.
They are fighting to keep the world safe for petroleum. If anything,
since 9/11, our freedom has been slowly eroded and the presence of
the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan makes it harder for anyone
to speak up in dissent. If I were in an airport, and I spoke aloud
what I¹ve written in this article, I¹d
likely be detained or arrested.
Irony #2: While most American citizens are manipulated, harassed,
coerced, and guilted into hanging yellow ribbons Rebellion in 1787
to Coxey¹s Army to the Bonus Army to the Gulf War Syndrome to
a quarter-million homeless vets today, generation after generation
of US military personnel has suffered a lack of support from their
own government (and the corporations that own it). ³Our troops²
are just as controlled and exploited as the US citizens that worship
them.
And one more thing: Let¹s stop with the ³our troops²
charade. You and I may foot the bill, but ³we² have no say
in what they do. If those truly were ³my² men and women,
I¹d bring them right home and put them to work doing something
usefulSlike turning the Long Island Expressway into the world¹s
longest organic farm.
Don¹t support the troopsSinform them.
Mickey Z. is the author of the forthcoming novel, CPR for Dummies
(Raw Dog Screaming Press). He can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.
