"Whether you are in the military or not, don’t be a military idolater..."

Is Joining the Military the Right Thing to Do?

By Laurence M. Vance

I was surprised at the number of responses I received from active-duty military personnel after my recent article about military idolaters. All but one e-mail I received from them was positive. And every one of the positive responses I received said they answered “no” to all of the questions in my military idolater quiz. Some said that joining the military turned out to be a huge mistake. Most indicated that they were getting out as soon as they could. All said they despised being thanked for their service.

But then there was the note from the sailor.

He says he is active-duty Navy. But even before he was, he said that he “would have answered yes to almost all” of my questions about being a military idolater. But, he was careful to say, “That does not mean that I idolize the military.” He was raised to “respect the military,” and “would like to see everyone do the same.” You see, “we do need to have a standing Army, Navy, Airforce, and Marine Corps to dissuade other countries who have such forces from attempting to take us over.” The troops “live and die to make this country safe.” This sailor makes it clear that he didn’t join the military for “glory and praise,” but because he “felt that it was the right thing to do.”

Since this sailor didn’t tell me to F off, drop dead, or move to Cuba (those are the nice things that people have said to me), but was “just wondering” as to what my “intentions were” in writing the article and my “thoughts on the place of the military,” I thought I would take the time to respond to his e-mail, and especially to his statement about joining the military being the right thing to do.

First of all, I am glad that this sailor was reading LRC and “stumbled upon” my article. Many current and former members of the military read LRC on a regular basis. I hope this sailor becomes a regular reader. Where else is he going to read the truth about the military? The military recruiters aren’t going to tell the truth about the military. Most pastors aren’t going to tell the truth about the military. The Democratic and Republican Parties aren’t going to tell the truth about the military. Conservative think tanks aren’t going to tell the truth about the military. No member of Congress from either party is going to tell the truth about the military. President Obama isn’t going to tell the truth about the military over which he is the commander in chief. Former president George W. Bush isn’t going to tell the truth about the military that he used to destroy Iraq and Afghanistan. The Joint Chiefs aren’t going to tell the truth about the military. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders aren’t going to tell the truth about the military. The DNC and RNC aren’t going to tell the truth about the military. Fox News isn’t going to tell the truth about the military. And Donald Trump isn’t going to tell the truth about the military either. Although he has said some good things about U.S. foreign policy, he wants to build up the military—which already sucks a trillion dollars out of the pockets of U.S. taxpayers. You can count on writers for LRC to tell the truth about the military.

Second, I don’t respect the military, and would like to see everyone do the same. But this doesn’t mean that I hate the military.

Third, the generation of the Founders was averse to a standing army.

Fourth, Japan and Germany weren’t even attempting to take us over during World War II. The United States has a natural national defense that is better than its military.

Fifth, the troops don’t live and die to make this country safe. They live for their pay and benefits like workers at any other job. When they die, they die in vain and for a lie fighting wars that they shouldn’t be fighting in places where they have no business going.

Sixth, joining the military is not the right thing to do. Consider the following—

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military is used more for offense than defense?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military acts as the president’s personal attack force?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military fights unnecessary wars?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military regularly kills innocent civilians?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military carries out an aggressive and reckless U.S. foreign policy?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military is what keeps in operation overseas brothels?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military marches while singing vile cadences about rape and killing?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military is a global force for evil?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military creates terrorists and insurgents because of its interventions?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military fights unjust wars?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military when it has made hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military invades and occupies countries that are no threat to the United States?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military carries out drone strikes that regularly miss their targets?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military bombs, maims and kills on command for the government?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military fights wars that are not constitutionally declared?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military makes us less safe because of its interventions?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military doesn’t defend our freedoms?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military dismisses the killing of civilians as collateral damage?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military fights immoral wars?

Is joining the military the right thing to do when the military doesn’t secure American borders, guard American shores, patrol American coasts, and enforce no-fly zones over American skies—although it does these things in other countries?

I didn’t think so.

So why did this sailor enlist? He said in his e-mail that he did “not agree with the current war.” Either he enlisted after Bush launched his “defensive” wars of aggression or he enlisted before then and stayed in the military during those wars when he could have gotten out. (I suspect the former.) How could joining the military be the right thing to do if someone disagrees with the current war? Any member of the military could be sent to fight in Iraq, Afghanistan, or some other place in the world where the United States has created terrorists and insurgents.

Whether you are in the military or not, don’t be a military idolater. If you haven’t yet taken the military idolater quiz, please do so. And here is another quiz to determine whether you are a Christian warmonger.

Link:
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/03/laurence-m-vance/joining-military/