An old politico — Winston Churchill — whose great personal courage helped to win freedom for the Western world in its most threatened period once declared, “History shall be kind to me, for I intend to write it.” Such audacity is rarely heard now; the intellectual magnitude of such individuals rarely coincides with the political capital necessary to make such a statement valid. More than anything, Churchill’s phenomenal arrogance in the face of overwhelming odds seems to confirm the oft-repeated adage that the winner gets to make history in his own image. And nowhere does such a dangerous conviction pervert the national dialogue with such hateful results than in the discourse regarding America’s men and women in the armed forces.
The consensus on America’s armed men and women is that they are imbued with some inherent sense of heroism and honor, and whatever the depravity of their overseers, the soldiers themselves are above reproach. And indeed, the United States military is fortunate to contain a great many individuals who hold idealism in higher esteem than violence. They are known as medical personnel. But for a great number of American soldiers, joining the military enables those same overseers to commit the acts of violence the public in this country and abroad regard as so appalling.
The vast majority of the civilized world sees no difference between ramming a plane into one building and firing a cruise missile or a machine gun at another, even if one is sanctioned by the world’s most powerful government. While the political discourse in this country has limited itself to criticism of those insulated at the highest levels of our government, the rest of the world sees American foreign policy manifested by GI Joe, not Donald Rumsfeld. The claim that these two entities are somehow separate from one another betrays a willing lack of understanding, perpetuated continually by the myth of “supporting the troops.” Patriotic Americans can complain about the use of military force, but to possess even a mild distaste for the military itself is a disgusting betrayal of human decency. And yet, if we ignore the rare exception of Winston Churchill, history is rarely kind to those who inflict senseless violence on the innocent, no matter what their position in their respective hierarchies. Ask any member of the German Military during World War II — regardless of the role they played.
Additionally, it shows a fearful lack of belief in freedom if we convince ourselves the only means of exporting it is at the point of a gun. To claim free trade, a pluralistic democracy and the uncompromising preservation of civil liberties at home are insufficient, that we need to “protect” freedom with bombs, dead children and the engendering of hate is to also declare that our fundamental insecurities are greater than our faith in ourselves.
On the eve of an election in which a great deal is supposedly at stake, the two men fighting to run this country have casually discussed invading a sovereign country armed with nuclear weapons and using our own nuclear weapons on another. If the American people are truly concerned with the establishment of peace, voting democratic and dumping copious helpings of “progressive” on any innocent bystander will not suffice. Instead, America’s military should be boycotted to the point at which it is incapable of doing anything beyond defending the shores of its home — which, incidentally, is the purpose for which the founding fathers originally created the armed forces.
If America wishes to defend her own shores, that is entirely her right, and her soldiers should be commended for their willingness to do so. But on behalf of the rest of the world, the countries living in the shadow of an imperialist menace and those fortunate enough to sit in its good graces, stop joining the military. Stop pretending centuries of mismanagement and unwarranted violence are still insufficient justifications for not joining the military. If it is truly essential to protect freedom, start at home — not 1,000 miles away.
Sam Clegg ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in economics.
